Elza admits giving Rp 5.8m to guards<\/p>\n
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra's lawyer, Elza Syarief, admitted on
\nSaturday in front of a lawyers' ethics committee that she gave Rp
\n5.8 million (US$621.60) to two witnesses in her client's case to
\nwithdraw their statements made earlier to city police.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Advocates and Lawyers Association (HAPI) head
\nof the fact-finding team, Salikin, said earlier that Elza gave
\nonly Rp 1 million each to witnesses Rahmat Hidayat and Tatang
\nSomantri, who worked at the Cemara Apartment in Menteng, Central
\nJakarta, as security guards.<\/p>\n
On the second day of the ethics hearing, she also admitted
\ngiving cash to other witnesses, including Cemara Apartment
\nstaffers Marvin Hukom and Beni M. Robani.<\/p>\n
"I gave them all Rp 5.8 million, including Rp 3 million to
\nMarvin to rent a car and Rp 1 million each for Tatang and Rachmat
\nto buy decent clothes and shoes," Elza told ethics committee
\nchairman Yan Apul Girsang, who was once tried for giving false
\ninformation before a notary public in Surabaya.<\/p>\n
"I gave them money for humanity reasons. I often saw them wear
\nrough sandals," said Elza, the HAPI deputy general secretary,
\nreferring to Rahmat and Tatang.<\/p>\n
The hearing has turned into a side-show to Tommy's trial and
\ntook place at the four-star Sahid Jaya Hotel ballroom in Central
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
Both Rahmat and Tatang, who are currently in police detention,
\ntold the police that Elza gave them Rp 2 million before they
\ntestified in court on April 10.<\/p>\n
In return, Rahmat said, they denied the signatures on police
\nstatements were theirs. They also told the Central Jakarta
\nDistrict Court that the police had tortured them during
\nquestioning.<\/p>\n
Several witnesses confirmed that Elza had asked for Rp 5.8
\nmillion from the Bakti Putra Bangsa Foundation, which manages the
\napartment, where the police found ammunition and firearms
\nreportedly belonging to Tommy.<\/p>\n
Tommy chaired the foundation before shifting the post to his
\nwife, Ardhia Pramesti Regita Cahyani, in January 2001.<\/p>\n
The foundation's secretary, Bramantyo, claimed at the hearing
\nthat Elza had requested money for various purposes, including the
\npurchase of decent clothes for Tatang and Rahmat and for
\ntransportation costs to attend Tommy's trial at the Jakarta
\nFairground.<\/p>\n
Should Elza be found guilty of a serious violation of the
\nethics code, HAPI will dismiss her from the association and
\nsuggest the Jakarta High Court withdraw her lawyer's license. But
\nif her actions are deemed a light violation, Elza will only be
\ngiven a warning.<\/p>\n
Tears rolled down her cheeks as Elza begged the ethics
\ncommittee to "protect her".<\/p>\n
Many suspect that the hearing is only a smoke screen to divert
\npeople's attention from Tommy's trial as well as to avoid her
\nbeing summoned as a bribery suspect on Monday by city police.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/elza-admits-giving-rp-58m-to-guards-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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