Way open for possible release of Suharto's son-minister
24 Oct 2006 06:07:17 GMT Source: Reuters
(Adds details on Bali remissions, paragraphs 14-15) By Telly Nathalia JAKARTA, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Former Indonesian president Suharto's youngest son -- jailed for plotting a murder -- could now benefit from a conditional release after his sentence was cut on Tuesday, Justice Minister Hamid Awaludin said. Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra was sentenced to 15 years in jail in 2002 for paying a hitman to kill a Supreme Court judge and other offences. The murdered judge had convicted Tommy in a graft case. His jail term was later reduced to 10 years in an appeal and has also been sliced several times under an Indonesian practice of sentence remissions for good behaviour. The latest cut of six weeks is in conjunction with the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr. "The six-week remission on Tommy Suharto's sentence would open the way to grant him a conditional release, because he had served two-thirds of his sentence," Awaludin told reporters. He added, however, that any such decision would have to be discussed with the prosecutor's office. Awaludin had been quoted earlier as saying a release would not be automatic and society's attitude should be a factor. Any early release is likely to spark criticism from domestic human rights groups and foreign analysts who say Indonesia must demonstrate it has no double-standards in applying justice to the rich and powerful rather than the poor and weak. Many had criticised the original sentence as too lenient considering Tommy's crimes. A colourful figure with a reputation as a playboy and a hobby of stock car racing, Tommy, like other members of Suharto's family, made millions during his father's presidency. Critics said most of the family's financial success had owed more to political connections than business acumen. Suharto, who ruled Indonesia with an iron hand for more than 30 years, has denied charges of graft and has avoided prosecution by pleading that he is too ill to stand trial. In addition to Tommy, the government has cut the sentences of thousands of other prisoners to mark the Muslim holiday. The remissions included a number for individuals convicted over the Bali bombings in 2002 in which 202 people died, most of them foreign tourists. At least two linked to the blasts are free to go following the sentence cuts. Nine prisoners involved in the bombings received remissions of one month and 15 days on Tuesday, a prison statement issued in Bali said. No one given death or life sentences benefited from any reduction. Three Islamic militants are on death row for the bombings, blamed on the Southeast Asia militant Islamic group Jemaah Islamiah. Indonesia's past remissions of sentences for terrorism drew fire from countries such as Australia and the United States, where officials said the crimes were too serious to permit mercy.
