Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – The Bandung Military Court sentenced Chief Pvt. Yuli Harsono on Thursday to four years in prison for illegal possession of explosives, which he was planning to give to a militant Muslim group, the Indonesian Mujahiddin Council (MMI).

The court also ordered that Yuli be dishonorably discharged from the Indonesian Military (TNI).

The sentence was a year less than that demanded by the prosecutors, who charged him with weapons possession and suspicion of abetting the reactionary Islamist group with close ties to several convicted terrorists, most notably, MMI's founder Abu Bakar Ba'asyir.

The panel of judges, presided over by Lt. Col. Hazarmein, did however, surmise that Yuli's crimes were committed without the consent of TNI officers. "Such acts betray the soldiers' oath and endanger the lives of all citizens of Indonesia," Hazarmein said.

Both the prosecution and defense teams were considering appeal, but no decisions were announced as of Wednesday night. "The verdict of four years is too heavy for me. To be discharged (from the TNI) is already enough punishment," Yuli said.

During the inquiry process, the military investigators found scores of bullets and projectiles of various caliber, along with a hand grenade at his house in Cimahi, West Java and his wife's house in Purworejo, Central Java.

The ammunition was obtained while Yuli was the quartermaster at a war training complex in Cimahi. The chief private later absconded with the explosives and apparently was on the verge of passing it on to MMI operatives.

Commenting on this part of the verdict, Yuli strongly denied there was a connection between the ammunition and MMI. "The was no connection whatsoever. Those are my personal belongings," said Yuli, who has been in detention since June 2005.

The verdict was handed down after just five hearings with testimony from seven TNI witnesses and five MMI devotees.