A、Tommy Suharto was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the murder of a judge. B、Prosecutors have decided against demanding a ha

Indonesian prosecutors have asked judges to sentence the son of former President Suharto to 15 years in prison for the murder of a judge. Some legal groups say they are surprised by what they consider a request so lenient sentence.
   Prosecutors say they decided against demanding a harsher sentence against Hutomo Mandala Putra, known as Tommy Suharto. Prosecutors say he is young and has a family to support. They also say he has been well-behaved in court. Mr. Suharto is accused of ordering the murder of a Supreme Court judge, a crime that carries a maximum sentence of death. A verdict is expected to be handed down in about a month. But some legal experts say the requested sentence is too light.
   Tommy Suharto is accused of masterminding the murder of Justice Syafiuddin Kartasasmita. The justice had sentenced Mr. Suharto to 18 months in prison for corruption, but that conviction was later overturned. Mr. Suharto fled after his conviction in 2000 and eluded authorities for more than a year. Analysts think it is likely he had the assistance of corrupt members of Indonesia’s police or armed forces.