JAKARTA HIGH COURT UPHOLDS VERDICTS IN TIMIKA CASE

UNCLAS JAKARTA 000897 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS FBI PLEASE PASS CTD/ITOS I, CTD/ITOS II, GOU STATE FOR EAP/MTS, DS/DSS, DS/IP/EAP, DS/EAP/ITA, AND CA/OCS/ACS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV ASEC CASC KJUS PHUM ID SUBJECT: JAKARTA HIGH COURT UPHOLDS VERDICTS IN TIMIKA CASE REF: 06 JAKARTA 013142 (WAMANG SENTENCED TO LIFE) ¶1. (SBU) On March 7, the Jakarta High Court announced that it had upheld the Central Jakarta District Court's guilty verdicts (reftel) of Anthonius Wamang and his co-conspirators Agustinus Anggaibak (AKA Johnny Kasomol),Yulianus Deikme, Ishak Onawatme, Esau Onawatme, and Yairus Kiwak in connection with the 2002 murders of two American citizens and one Indonesian near Timika, Papua. Wamang's life sentence stands. The High Court availed itself of its perogative to extend the sentences of the co-conspirators. Angaibbak and Deikme will now serve eight years, rather than seven. Ishak Onawame, Esau Onawame, and Yairus Kiwak will now serve five years, as opposed to eighteen months. Another co-conspirator, Hardi Sugimol, died in Jakarta Police Hospital from tuberculosis and AIDS-related complications last December 1. The defendants' lawyers immediately announced that they would appeal again to the Supreme Court. ¶2. (SBU) Prosecutors Anita Asterida and Fernando Siagian briefed us on these developments on March 27. They told us that, as expected, the defendants' attorneys unsuccessfully challenged the original verdicts on procedural and political grounds. They said that the appeal decision had been based on a review of existing evidence and documents, and that no public session had been held. The same would likely be true of the appeal to the Supreme Court, although the court had the option to hold a trial if new evidence were introduced. They said they expected a Supreme Court ruling in about two months' time. If the Supreme Court upholds the guilty verdicts, the defendants have no further appeal options. HEFFERN