http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/02/25/ali-just-ordinary-man-lawyer-claims.html
Ali just an ordinary man, lawyer claims Dicky Christanto , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 02/25/2010 12:09 PM | National Saudi citizen Al Khelaiw Ali Abdullah, who is facing terrorism charges, said through his lawyer in a hearing on Wednesday that he was an ordinary man planning to open a business venture in Indonesia. The prosecutors said in the hearing at South Jakarta District Court that Ali helped finance the simultaneous terrorist attacks on the Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott hotels in Jakarta last year in July. Prosecutor Totok Bambang said Ali gave Rp 54 million to Iwan Herdiansyah, a friend of terror suspects the late Syaefudin Zuhri and Amir Abdillah. Iwan then gave part of the money to Zuhri through Amir. They said Ali transferred the money to Iwan for an investment to open a computer shop. From the sum, Ali alledgedly told Iwan to take Rp 2.8 million to Zuhri. "We strongly suspect the money was used by the terrorists to commit their crime," Totok said. He said Ali was subject to a maximum of 20 years imprisonment. Ali's lawyer, Asludin Hatjani, said Ali's money, given to terrorist suspect Syaifudin Zuhri, was not a large enough amount for prosecutors to accuse him of terrorism. "If he wanted to help those terrorists then I believe he would be more militant and have donated much more money," Asludin said. Before the session, Ali told reporters that he met Zuhri at Soekarno-Hatta airport by chance. "He offered to be an interpreter for me during my stay in Indonesia," Ali, through an interpreter, was quoted by kompas.com. "I found out he was a terrorist when I was arrested. Had I known before, I would have fled immediately." The prosecutor also said Ali violated the immigration law, by opening a business in Indonesia while on a tourist visa. The hearing was interrupted when lawyers from Muslim Lawyers Team (TPM) barged into the session. They said they were supposed to be the ones who defended Ali in the trial. Presiding Judge Ida Bagus Dwiantara had the TPM lawyers removed for insulting the court. "We suspect Ali was forced to accept the legal representative *appointed for him*. He actually wants to be represented by us and not Asludin, his current lawyer," Muanaz Alaidin, one of the protesting lawyers, told journalists outside the court. In response, Asludin Hatjani, said he had been chosen by the Saudi Arabian Embassy to represent Ali in the legal process. "I don't know what those TPM lawyers are up to," he said. Ali was arrested mid-last year in Kuningan, West Java. He was suspected to have been in contact with Zuhri and Syahrir, both shot dead during a police raid on a boarding house in Ciputat last year. Zuhri and Syahrir were Noordin M. Top's seconds in command. They were involved in the preparation meetings for the July 17 bombings. On the same day at a separate hearing, Amir Abdillah stood before the South Jakarta District Court. Three witnesses were summoned to give testimonies before the court. They were Tashadi, a taxi driver whose taxi was used by one of the suicide bombers, Dani Dwi Permana. Tini Harantina, Dani's mother and Cynthia Dewi, the owner of Cynthia's florist, who had hired Ibrohim, who was shot dead during a police raid in Temanggung last year.
