Speaking to reporters at the State Palace here on Thursday, Mahfud said the decision of the prosecutor`s office and the court to judicially process the case of the 15-year old boy was not exaggerated.
"I think, what the prosecutor`s office and the court have done in the case was not exaggerated. It was correct. Any case must be processed but it must be done proportionally," he said.
He said the court`s decision in declaring AAL guilty and returning him to his parents instead of sending him to jail was proportionate.
The law must be enforced without discrimination (regardless of the case or persons involved in it), he said. The court has now ruled (on the case of AAL).
Mahfud said if the case was not processed it would also create protests with people saying that a violation had happened but it was not judicially processed.
He also said if the case was not processed, criminals might later hide behind such a reason to cause another problem and many people might use it.
Mahfud said stealing another person`s property must be dealt with. He said one can be materially be considered guilty but not formally.
Mahfud meanwhile also praised the sympathy people had shown for AAL by collecting sandals as a form or protest against the trial of a minor.
"It is a protest against power abuse by the police, so it is also right," he said.
(T.D013/H-YH/HAJM/S012)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2012
