Hopes for end to corruption fade away<\/p>\n
Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
People are certainly losing confidence in the judiciary system
\nand in the ongoing battle against corruption in the country
\nfollowing the Supreme Court's decision to accept House Speaker
\nAkbar Tandjung's appeal against a three-year sentence over a
\ngraft conviction.<\/p>\n
Noted corporate lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis who expressed strong
\ndisappointment over the Supreme Court's verdict said: \"Today is a
\nsad day for this country...\"<\/p>\n
He said nobody could make any changes although a public
\nexamination of the verdict could be conducted.<\/p>\n
\"The examination would reveal what is wrong with the verdict
\nto be taken as a lesson in handling such cases in the future,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Akbar appealed to the Supreme Court after the Jakarta High
\nCourt upheld the decision of the Central Jakarta District Court
\nthat sentenced Akbar to three years imprisonment for his
\ninvolvement in a Rp 40 billion (US$4.8 million) graft case when
\nhe was state secretary in 1999.<\/p>\n
Akbar is one of several government officials from president
\nSoeharto's tenure who have gone on trial for corruption charges.
\nFormer chief of the National Logistics Agency (Bulog) Rahardi
\nRamelan is still appealing against a three-year prison sentence
\nwith the Supreme Court on similar charges.<\/p>\n
Soeharto, who looks physically healthy, will likely continue
\nto evade corruption charges as the court has found him unfit to
\nstand trial.<\/p>\n
Todung, however, said that if the Supreme Court had thrown out
\nAkbar's appeal, the highly politicized case would have become a
\nsnow ball that would drag in many other parties that might also
\nhave received funds.<\/p>\n
He said he feared the Supreme Court had made a decision based
\non a narrow perspective as four of the five judges who accepted
\nAkbar's appeal argued that the defendant had just implemented
\nformer president B.J. Habibie's instruction to distribute basic
\ncommodities to the poor under the social safety net program.<\/p>\n
Akbar was not guilty in the corruption case because he was
\njust obeying the president's instruction, they argued.<\/p>\n
Ombudsman Commission Chairman Antonius Sujata shared Todung's
\nviews, saying that the verdict itself and the tardy process to
\narrive at a verdict had damaged the judicial system's image.<\/p>\n
\"This is a miscarriage of justice. With this decision the
\npublic will have no more confidence in the judicial system and
\nthe government's efforts to stop corruption,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He also said another factor that contributed to the
\ndisappointing verdict was that the panel of judges was presided
\nover by a judge with the state administrative law background.<\/p>\n
It is also unusual for the Supreme Court to issue such a long
\nverdict as a verdict usually only consisted of 25 pages, he said.<\/p>\n
He said, however, one thing that he was pleased about was that
\none of the judges put forward a dissenting opinion on the case.<\/p>\n
\"I respect this effort, which is a first in this country,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Separately, Judicial Watch chairman A. Muhammad Asrun said the
\nverdict was an indication that the Supreme Court was not free
\nfrom outside interference.<\/p>\n
\"Akbar's acquittal of corruption charges has been predicted
\nlong before today when the Supreme Court repeatedly delayed the
\ntrial and announcing the verdict,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) called on the
\nSupreme Court to undertake total reform to repair the corrupt
\njudiciary and to examine the panel of judges' decision.<\/p>",
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