T

angerang prosecutors have appealed the acquittal of a Brazilian who was tried for the alleged possession of 990 grams of heroin.

'We have proposed the death penalty to the Supreme Court for Brazilian Reginaldo Bom Fim,' Andi Konggoasa, head of general crimes at the Tangerang Prosecutor's Office, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

The panel of judges presided over by Syamsul Bahri Harahap let the defendant walk free after an unscheduled hearing at Tangerang District Court on Feb. 14.

The defendant was arrested in Bali for the alleged possession of the drug sent from Brazil through a delivery service. The package was checked and confirmed to contain heroin at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport's customs office in Tangerang.

The prosecutors had proposed the defendant be sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Andi said the defendant at first handed over a passport bearing his name but a different picture. Later, while in custody pending trial, he handed over another passport with his picture but bearing a different name. 'He claimed to be Paolo, not Reginaldo. We suspect a syndicate misled the court because the judges acquitted the defendant on the grounds of misidentification.'

The defendant has been transferred to the immigration quarantine center in West Jakarta.