Bribery rampant in court: Commission<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Judicial Commission said on Monday that the bribery case
\ninvolving former president Soeharto's half-brother Probosutedjo
\nprovided a crystal clear proof that the practice was rampant in
\nthe court system and legal professions.<\/p>\n
Pressures, meanwhile, mounted for Chief Justice Bagir Manan,
\nwho is presiding over the panel of judges hearing the case, to be
\nsuspended, pending an investigation into him in connection with
\nthe bribery allegations.<\/p>\n
Judicial Commission member Irawadi Joenoes said after
\nquestioning Probosutedjo on Monday that the bribery involved
\njudges and officials at the Jakarta High Court, the Supreme Court
\nas well as prosecutors and lawyers.<\/p>\n
\"In his account, Probosutedjo said the (judges at the Central
\nJakarta) District Court were clean, the High Court was crowded
\n(by extorters) while the Supreme Court was even more crowded,\"
\nIrawadi told reporters after the four-hour session.<\/p>\n
Probosutedjo, who has confessed to the Corruption Eradication
\nCommission (KPK) to having spent some Rp 16 billion on bribes for
\njudges and court officials to rule in his favor, told reporters
\nhe gave the money to his lawyers to escape a jail sentence as he
\nbelieved that did not commit a crime.<\/p>\n
\"This is a civil case rather than corruption,\" he said.
\nAccompanying him was his lawyer H.A. Boer and economist Sri Edhi
\nSwasono, who is the husband of State Minister of Women's
\nEmpowerment Meutia Farida Hatta Swasono.<\/p>\n
Probosutedjo was convicted of embezzling reforestation funds
\nthat cost the state over Rp 100 billion in losses. He was
\nsentenced to four years in jail by the Central Jakarta District
\nCourt in 2003, but the Jakarta High Court later halved the jail
\nterm.<\/p>\n
The Supreme Court is still hearing his appeal.<\/p>\n
Probosutedjo said he approved a suggestion from his then
\nlawyers to pay a total of Rp 10 billion to officials of the
\ndistrict court and the high court.<\/p>\n
\"That's according to my lawyers, who fought for the most
\nlenient verdict for me, or acquittal if possible,\" he said, as
\nquoted by Antara.<\/p>\n
Probosutedjo revealed that his defense lawyers Sony Lumantaw
\nand Richard Marbun, who represented him at the district court,
\nhad given some of his money to prosecutors.<\/p>\n
He added that lawyers Nurbaiti and Gatot Rusmanto, whom he
\nhired to win his appeal at the High Court, said they would pay
\nJudge Samang Hamidi, who presided over the panel of judges, and
\nthen Jakarta High Court head Ridwan Nasution.<\/p>\n
\"I gave the money through my lawyers,\" said Probosutedjo, who
\nclaimed he had no direct access to judges, prosecutors or court
\nclerks handling his case.<\/p>\n
Boer said his client would seek protection as a witness from
\nthe Corruption Eradication Commission, which is now investigating
\nthe scandal.<\/p>\n
Probosutedjo claims that he is a whistleblower for the KPK,
\nbut observers have insisted that the commission also charge the
\nbusinessman with bribery. KPK has so far treated Probosutedjo as
\na witness in the case, the first to implicate the previously
\nuntouchable Supreme Court.<\/p>\n
Separately, National Resilience Institute (Lemhanas) governor
\nMuladi called on Bagir, and Justices Parman Suparman and Usman
\nKarim to be suspended, pending the KPK investigation into their
\ninvolvement in the matter.<\/p>\n
\"They must be suspended and demonstrate their manners as the
\ninvestigation and questioning are not related to their capacity
\nas individuals,\" he said.<\/p>\n
KPK investigators have arrested Probosutedjo's lawyer Harini
\nWijoso and five officials of the Supreme Court for their alleged
\ninvolvement in the verdict-buying scam. The KPK also confiscated
\nsome US$400,000 and Rp 800 million, which is believed would have
\nbeen paid to win the appeal case.<\/p>\n
Harini told him that Rp 1 billion would be paid to court
\nemployees, and the remaining Rp 5 billion to Bagir.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bribery-rampant-in-court-commission-1447893297",
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