Hi-tech method to put Habibie on witness stand<\/p>\n
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Former president B.J. Habibie -- who currently lives in Germany
\n-- is expected to testify via videoconference in the trial of
\nformer chief of the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) Rahardi
\nRamelan at the Central Jakarta District Court later this month.<\/p>\n
The district court chief Lalu Mariyun, who is presiding over
\nthe trial, has asked for the approval of the Supreme Court and
\nthe Ministry of Justice and Human Rights about the plan to summon
\nHabibie through a videoconference link this month.<\/p>\n
Lalu said that both of them had indicated that they would
\nagree. \"We are now waiting for their official approval,\" he said
\non Friday.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, Habibie's lawyers Muladi, who was the Minister of
\nJustice under Habibie's term, O.C. Kaligis and Yan Djuanda
\nSaputra, met Lalu to inform him that Habibie was ready to take
\nthe witness stand via a videoconference in Rahardi's hearing.<\/p>\n
\"Our client welcomes the idea and we support him,\" Yan
\ntold The Jakarta Post Saturday.<\/p>\n
The team of lawyers will go to Hamburg, Germany to accompany
\ntheir client during the unique testimony, which will be done with
\nassistance from SCTV.<\/p>\n
Habibie, who ignored the court's summon three times, currently
\nlives in Hamburg, Germany, and takes care of his ailing wife.<\/p>\n
The former president is a key witness against Rahardi, who is
\naccused of misusing Rp 62.9 billion (about US$7.27 million) of
\nBulog's Non-Budgetary Funds in 1999.<\/p>\n
As much as Rp 40 billion allegedly went to Akbar Tandjung,
\nthen the state secretary\/minister for what the accused claim was
\na charity project, upon orders from Habibie. Many believe that
\nthe money was used to finance the Golkar party campaign in the
\n1999 election.<\/p>\n
Akbar, who is now House Speaker and head of the Golkar Party,
\nis being tried at the Central Jakarta District Court in a similar
\ncase. In that trial, the prosecutors presented Habibie's dossiers
\nbefore the court as evidence.<\/p>\n
Judge Lalu insisted upon hearing Habibie's testimony live
\nbecause the public needed to observe the case thoroughly.
\nRahardi's lawyer, Trimoelja D. Soerjadi, had earlier supported
\nthe court because Habibie's testimony could reveal the truth of
\nthe case.<\/p>\n
However, the prosecutors did not seem to be enthusiastic to
\ncarry out the idea. Chief prosecutor Kemas Yahya Rahman said that
\nprosecutors would go to Hamburg only if the government paid for
\ntheir trip. Otherwise, they would just ask officials of the
\nIndonesian embassy in Germany to watch over the process in
\nHamburg.<\/p>\n
Kemas claimed that his office had no money for the
\nteleconferencing, which was doubted by Lalu as the Attorney
\nGeneral's Office in December sent two prosecutors to meet Habibie
\nin Hamburg.<\/p>\n
He also ignored the court's suggestion to contact the
\nUniversity of Indonesia, which had earlier stated their
\nwillingness to lend a hand.<\/p>\n
SCTV then took an active step by approaching the court and
\noffered to assist with the videoconference. The court had
\napproved the offer after SCTV agreed not to air commercials
\nduring the program.<\/p>\n
Kemas had repeatedly said that prosecutors preferred to read
\nout Habibie's dossiers as the Criminal Code Procedure does not
\nrule upon videoconference testimony.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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