The youngest son of former Indonesian dictator Suharto has begun a 15-year prison term for masterminding the murder of a judge amid protests that his sentence failed to match the severity of his crimes.
Tommy Suharto's sentence – for four separate crimes – was "definitely too lenient," said noted legal analyst Hendardi of the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI).
"Considering he faced four different charges, which include a contract murder, a defendant of a case with this magnitude should have got a minimum jail term of 20 years or a life sentence." Tommy was convicted of ordering the drive-by shooting of judge Syafiuddin Kartasasmita, who in September 2000 had ordered him jailed for 18 months for a corrupt land deal.
Syafiuddin was gunned down July of last year by two hitmen while driving to work. The two actual hitmen were in May jailed for life.
Hendardi said since the court found him guilty of ordering the judge's murder, the former millionaire playboy tycoon "should have been convicted to a life sentence" since both of his hitmen received a life sentence.
"In my view, the court's ruling was made because the judges were trying to save themselves from public pressure or pressure from Suharto's loyalists," he told AFP.
Tommy was also convicted of possessing two arms caches and explosives and of fleeing from justice.
The four month-long trial was seen by Indonesian media and foreign experts as a key test of Indonesia's corruption-prone legal system and its fledgling democracy.
During the autocratic rule of Suharto senior from 1966 to 1998, the rich and powerful enjoyed virtual immunity from the law.
Echoing Hendardi's sentiment, the Jakarta Post said in an editorial Saturday that compared with his hitmen, Tommy got off lightly, citing a possible collusion between him and the judges.
"This huge disparity was enough to raise immediate suspicions of a conspiracy between the judges and Tommy's defence lawyers, either for the judges' material gain or personal safety," the paper said.
"Judge Syafiuddin's killing, after all, must have served as a strong warning to other judges." The paper also said many have already questioned the court's decision to proceed with the trial despite Tommy's absence – which doctors said was due to a diarrhoea attack.
"Could this have been part of a conspiracy to provide Tommy with a loophole to escape justice by filing a successful appeal with the Supreme Court?" The mass-circulated Media Indonesia newspaper said the 15-year sentence would teach Tommy a lesson that nobody is above the law.
"For Tommy, it is now time for him to show that he abides the law and that he is not a coward who would chose to run or cower behind a facade of sickness." Tommy built up a huge business empire during his father's nepotistic rule. In 1999 Time magazine estimated his wealth at 800 million dollars.
According to George Aditjondro, an academic who researched the Suharto family wealth, Tommy's assets included a sprawling ranch in New Zealand, several golf courses in England and a luxury cruiser berthed in Darwin, Australia.