Pledoi Session Four of Five Defendants in the 37 Kilogram of Methamphetamine Case, Attorney Reluctant to Comment

News24xx.com - The Pledoi trial for 37 kilograms of methamphetamine cases with five defendants was held again at the Bengkalis District Court. During the trial only four defendants were present at the trial.

From the observation, one of the defendants was not presented at Bengkalis District Court, Suci Ramadianto, a former Warden of Bengkalis Class IIA Penitentiary.

The four defendants who were presented included Iwan Irawan, Rozali, Surya Dharma and Muhammad Aris, the four defendants sat in the confined chairs in the Kartika room in the Bengkalis District Court, Friday, August 23, 2019.

The Pledoi Session of the four defendants was led directly by the head of the panel of judges, Zia Ul Jannah, SH accompanied by two judges, members of Annisa Sitawati, SH and Mohd Rizki Musmar, SH. While the Public Prosecutor (Prosecutor) from the Bengkalis District Attorney was represented by Aci Jaya Saputra SH.

Pledoi readings or defense memorandum lasts several hours around 09.30 WIB until 11.00 WIB. In the pledoi, the legal team of the four defendants read out, believing that the trial of four of their clients was not proven guilty.

The death penalty and 20 years imprisonment demanded by the judges are too burdensome. Because many court facts that have not been proven.

Among them related to evidence of alleged money transactions for drug purchase transactions allegedly against their clients could not be proven. Because at the time of the evidentiary hearing the prosecutor could not authenticate the alleged transaction.

Besides that, several prosecutors could not be presented by the prosecutor before the panel of judges during the trial. Even though the presence of this witness was considered important by the defendant's attorney.

In the facts of the trial, the defendant's attorney assumed that the prosecutor's claim was considered not very strong and did not match the facts of the trial. According to him based on the facts of the trial the attorneys of the four defendants believed that the defendants were innocent. And deserves to be decided with an acquittal.

After the pledoi reading of the four defendants, the panel of judges closed the hearing and will resume the follow-up hearing next Monday. With the answer to the prosecutor's agenda related to the pledoi which was read out by the attorneys of the five defendants.

Meanwhile, the defendant's legal team when interviewed by a number of journalists was even reluctant to comment after the trial at Bengkalis District Court.

"Reporters are localized, you can conclude by yourself the pledoi that we read," said Achmad Taufan, one of the defendants' attorneys.

Meanwhile, Public Relations Bengkalis PN Zia Ul Jannah said that the pledoi hearing today was indeed only four defendants who took part in the trial. While the defendant Suci Ramadianto's pledoi was read in advance last Wednesday night.

"Actually the pledoi schedule was Wednesday. But only one defendant was read out by his attorney, because at that time the defendant's attorney had not prepared the pledges for the four other defendants," he said.

Still, Zia said, a follow-up hearing will be held next Monday with the agenda of the prosecutor's response regarding Pledoi from the defendant's attorney. While the schedule for the decision will be read out next Thursday.