Foul play apparent in Akbar's case<\/p>\n
Muninggar Sri Saraswati and Yogita Tahilramani, The Jakarta Post,
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
Efforts to salvage corruption suspect Akbar Tandjung became
\nincreasingly transparent when Attorney General's Office
\ninvestigators suddenly declared the Golkar chairman's dossier
\ncomplete, and handed it over to the Jakarta's Prosecution Office
\nat 12:30pm on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The same dossier was submitted to the Central Jakarta District
\nCourt at 2:45 p.m. on Thursday, or just two hour fifteen minutes
\nafter the Prosecution Office received it from the Attorney
\nGeneral's Office.<\/p>\n
Normally, it takes at least two weeks for a state prosecution
\noffice to study a dossier before it could submit it to the court.<\/p>\n
Central Jakarta District Court spokesman Judge Andi Samsan
\nNganro said on Thursday that his office had received Akbar's
\ndossier, along with those of Raudatul Jannah Foundation chairman
\nDadang Iskandar and contractor Winfried Simatupang, and that the
\ncourt would set up a panel of judges for the case in a few days.
\nUsually a panel of judges is set up within two weeks after a
\ndossier registration.<\/p>\n
The judges appointed for Akbar's case were the same as those
\nappointed for the murder case allegedly involving Hutomo \"Tommy\"
\nMandala Putra, said court clerk Heri T.<\/p>\n
\"While the trial date for Akbar's case has yet to be set,
\nTommy's case is scheduled to be tried at the Central Jakarta
\nDistrict Court on Mar. 20,\" Heri told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
\nHeri said the presiding judge for Akbar's case was Amiruddin
\nZakaria. Amiruddin will be accompanied by panel members Andi
\nSamson Nganro and I Ketut Gede.<\/p>\n
Earlier, Judge Andi, prosecutors Fachmi, Septinus Simatang and
\nAli Mukartono of the Jakarta High Prosecution Office registered
\nthe dossiers at 14:45.<\/p>\n
Earlier, the Attorney General's Office spokesman Barman Zahir
\nsaid that the dossiers and suspects of what has been dubbed as
\nBuloggate II had been handed over by examining prosecutors chief
\nManap Djubaedi to assistant for special criminal offenses at
\nJakarta's high prosecution office Tarwo Hadi Sajuri, who
\nsubsequently formed a team of public prosecutors consisting of
\nFachmi, Septinus and Ali Mukartono.<\/p>\n
The handing-over ceremony itself was conducted at the Attorney
\nGeneral's Office in Blok M, South Jakarta, not at the Jakarta
\nHigh Prosecution Office on Jl. Rasuna Said, Kuningan, South
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
The sudden and exceptionally fast process raised suspicions
\nthat the prosecutors were trying to beat the March 18 deadline
\nwhen legislators in the House of Representatives (DPR) convene to
\ndetermine whether or not it would establish an investigation team
\nto probe House Speaker Akbar, a suspect in a Rp 54.6 billion
\nfinancial scandal involving the State Logistics Agency (Bulog).<\/p>\n
President Megawati Soekarnoputri's Indonesian Democratic Party
\nof Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), the biggest faction in the House
\nwith 153 members, and Vice President Hamzah Haz's Muslim-based
\nUnited Development Party (PPP) have maintained that they would
\nsupport the establishment of a House inquiry team to probe Akbar
\nif the legal process did not proceed as desired.<\/p>\n
Last March 7, lawmakers were close to setting up an
\ninvestigation team after the Attorney General's Office showed
\nlittle progress in investigating Akbar. The legislators, however,
\nagreed to defer the decision until March 18 after the Attorney
\nGeneral's Office decided to detain Akbar.<\/p>\n
With Akbar's dossier is now registered with the Central
\nJakarta District Court, PDI Perjuangan and PPP are likely to
\noppose moves to form a House inquiry team to investigate Akbar.<\/p>\n
Golkar, a political bandwagon of former dictator Soeharto, is
\ntrying to avoid a House inquiry team because of its possible
\ndamaging and humiliating ramifications to Akbar's political
\nfuture and the very existence of the party itself.<\/p>\n
The last time the House set up an inquiry team was in 2000
\nwhen it investigated former president Abdurrahman \"Gus Dur\"
\nWahid's corruption allegation which led to his impeachment in
\nJuly 2001.<\/p>\n
The ruling PDI Perjuangan, however, has always appeared
\nreluctant in dealing with Akbar's corruption allegation for fear
\nthat Golkar would withdraw its support to Megawati's
\nadministration, a move that could lead to the end of her young
\nadministration.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, President Megawati, National Intelligence Agency
\n(BIN) chief A.M. Hendropiryono and Attorney General A. Rachman
\nheld a separate meeting after the weekly cabinet meeting on
\nThursday.<\/p>\n
A source close to the Palace said the three discussed about
\nthe latest development of Akbar's corruption case and current
\npolitical constellation.<\/p>",
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