Indonesia: Supreme Court Sentences Man to Death for Running Meth Business With Prison Chief The Supreme Court has handed down the death penalty to a man caught running a crystal methamphetamine business from a Central Java jail with the help of the prison’s warden. “There was no dissenting vote,” presiding judge Artidjo Alkostar told Kompas. Artidjo could not be reached for confirmation and the spokesman of the Supreme Court declined to comment on the report. The website of the Supreme Court has yet to publish the verdict. Giam Hwei Liang, who is also known as Hartoni Jaya Buana, was first convicted on drug charges by a court in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan. While serving his eight-year sentence at Nusakambangan jail, a facility for drug offenders, Giam began to operate a crystal methamphetamine business out of a cow shed just outside the prison. It is understood that the operation was focused on storing and trading the drug, and that the men were not manufacturing crystal meth in the building. On uncovering the operation, authorities revealed that the head of the prison had taken a leading role in the business. Marwan Adli, the prison warden, was handed 13 years for his part; Fob Budiyono, the jail’s education chief, received a seven-year prison order; while Giam’s original sentence was boosted to 20 years. The prosecutor — taking a dim view of a convicted drug dealer teaming up with prison chiefs to trade crystal meth in a specialist penitentiary for drug offenders — appealed the sentences to the Supreme Court, which concurred that the sanctions were not commensurate with the gravity of the crime. The court upgraded Giam’s sentence to death, and added two and seven years, respectively, to Fob and Marwan’s prison terms. (Jakarta Globe)
Posted on: Thu, 24 Oct 2013 12:10:49 +0000