JAKARTA // Indonesian state prosecutors told a Jakarta court yesterday they were seeking a life sentence for the 72-year-old cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, the spiritual leader of Islamist militants in South East Asia, for helping finance a "terrorist training camp".
Scores of his supporters, some packed into the courtroom and others watching live on a screen outside, shouted in dismay at what they said was the severity of the proposed sentence, shook their fists and chanted "Allahu Akbar" or "God is greatest".
Under Indonesian law the prosecutor was entitled to ask for the death penalty, but chose not to.
Although Mr Bashir does not command wide support in Indonesia, the harshness of the proposed sentence is likely to further inflame anger among some Islamists already enraged by the killing last week of the al Qa'eda chief Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.
The prosecutor, Andi Muhammad Taufik, said: "We wish judges to decide that Abu Bakar Bashir has been proven guilty of planning and or influencing others to provide money for an act that he would suspect would be used partly or fully for terrorism."
A verdict is not due for several weeks, after Mr Bashir has mounted his defence against the charges.
"Evil!" shouted a man outside the heavily guarded courtroom in south Jakarta. Another yelled: "The judges said they are Muslims but they have been using the law of the infidels."
Mr Bashir is the spiritual leader of the outlawed and now-defunct Jemaah Islamiah, which police have blamed for several bombings and killings, including the country's worst militant attacks, the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people.
He is also the spiritual leader and former head of the Islamist preaching group Jema'ah Ansharut Tauhid, whose members have been linked to recent bombings in Indonesia.
While he is clearly regarded as a spiritual figurehead by many militants, the authorities have so far never been able to prove that he was guilty of aiding militant attacks.
Prosecutors said Mr Bashir raised at least 350 million rupiah (Dh150,000) from supporters and funnelled some to a militant training camp discovered last year in a remote mountainous part of Aceh, a province on the northern tip of Sumatra island that is staunchly Muslim and observes Sharia.
Police say militants at the camp were hatching several plots including a plan to assassinate President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and hoped to turn Indonesia into an Islamic state. The discovery of the camp was a surprise for the security forces, who had thought they were winning the battle against militants.
This is the third trial in eight years for Mr Bashir, some of whose followers and sympathisers have been convicted of terrorist offences in the past. Mr Bashir has been jailed before, but not on terrorist charges.
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Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.