Juan blends idealism with reality<\/p>\n
By Emmy Fitri<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Former president Soeharto has been the target of
\ncorruption allegations since shortly after he was forced to
\nresign in May last year. Yet there are still many people who
\nsupport him, including his lawyers.<\/p>\n
One of those lawyers, Juan Felix Tampubolon, said he combined
\nidealism with reality in representing his client.<\/p>\n
The 43-year-old father of two sons, Bara Juang Pardamean
\nTampubolon and Maruli Ario Tampubolon, said that as Soeharto's
\nlawyer he had \"relatively\" high ideals and believed that
\nconflicts of interest should be earnestly avoided.<\/p>\n
Lawyers should have trust and leave behind all doubt in
\nworking on any case, including the Soeharto case, he said. \"There
\nis no conflict of interest at all.\"<\/p>\n
For Juan, in law there is no win or lose, there is only one
\nthing: The pursuit of justice and truth.<\/p>\n
\"It's not about is Pak Harto guilty or not. The process of
\nupholding the truth to seek justice is my only concern,\" he told
\nThe Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
\"Pak Harto deserves legal protection, not only because he is a
\nformer leader, but also because he is a citizen of the country.
\nPersonally, I fear that if nobody represented him, this country
\nwould become anarchic, where justice was sought through public
\ntrials instead of judicial trials.<\/p>\n
\"It's like we're going down the drain,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He underlined lawyers should be as objective as possible in
\nlooking after their client's position, but at the same time they
\nhad to be realistic.<\/p>\n
Juan, who began his law career 15 years ago with Ruhut
\nSitompoel, described himself as a blend between an idealistic
\nlawyer who only wanted to see law and justice upheld, and a
\nlawyer who needed to win his cases.<\/p>\n
Therefore, if there is any \"under-the-table dealings\" between
\nother lawyers, prosecutors and judges, he might play the same
\ngame.<\/p>\n
\"I will offer the same amount of money and reach a new deal
\nwith those involved in the play. Then we can start the war of
\nwords in the courtroom,\" he said.<\/p>\n
In its May 24 edition, Time magazine ran a cover story titled
\nSuharto Inc., which alleged Soeharto and his family had amassed a
\nUS$15 billion fortune during his 32-year reign.<\/p>\n
Soeharto filed a lawsuit against the magazine, saying part of
\nthe cover story, particularly the report that Soeharto
\ntransferred $9 billion from a bank in Switzerland to an Austrian
\nbank shortly after he resigned, was not true.<\/p>\n
Juan said that from the very beginning of the Soeharto case, a
\npolitical campaign was systematically launched by certain groups
\nto one-sidedly portray Soeharto as a corrupt leader who amassed
\nillicit wealth for his family and associates.<\/p>\n
\"Pak Harto is responsible for the country's worst economic
\ncrisis and should be taken to court for the error,\" Juan said,
\nciting the gist of the alleged propaganda.<\/p>\n
\"My belief is that Pak Harto's fall coincided with the
\ncountry's economic turmoil, which affected people from all walks
\nof life,\" Juan said.<\/p>\n
The statements continuously communicated to those suffering
\nfrom the economic crisis are aimed to destroy Soeharto, and
\nsimilar methods will later be used against those who are in
\npower, he said.<\/p>\n
Juan has actively represented several bank owners whose banks
\nwere closed by the government in 1998. He also once represented
\nfounding president Sukarno's daughters Rahmawati Soekarnoputri
\nand Sukmawati Soekarnoputri.<\/p>\n
However, the cases received little notice from the press. His
\nname only began to be widely known after he agreed to defend
\nSoeharto.<\/p>\n
Juan is so well-known now that on Thursday several journalists
\nlined up at his office -- in the 28-story Global Tower -- for
\ninterviews, mostly on the Soeharto case.<\/p>\n
Juan also represents the former ruler's eldest son Sigit
\nHardjojudanto, second eldest son Hutomo \"Tommy\" Mandala Putra,
\nsecond eldest daughter Siti Hediati Hariyadi \"Titiek\" Prabowo and
\nyoungest daughter Siti Hutami \"Mamiek\" Endang Adiningsih.<\/p>\n
Juan, who was a tae kwon do instructor at the Army's Strategic
\nReserves Command (Kostrad), once taught the martial art to
\nSoeharto's grandchildren. This brought him close to the family.<\/p>\n
Even though he has long been involved with the former first
\nfamily, his association with the Soeharto case is strictly a
\nprofessional relationship.<\/p>\n
\"I don't have any burden at all (in handling the family's
\ncases) as my relationship with Pak Harto and his children is so
\nfar strictly professional,\" Juan said.<\/p>\n
He said he could differentiate between his personal and
\nprofessional relationships with the Soehartos.<\/p>\n
\"In general, before signing a deal with potential clients, I
\nusually make a legal opinion on their cases; an objective review
\nwhich can direct our opinion after the clients have revealed
\ntheir problems and we have enough data on them.<\/p>\n
\"If the legal opinion doesn't meet my clients wish and they
\ninsist that I change it, I usually let them go. But if they can
\naccept my objective legal analysis, we make the deal,\" Juan said.<\/p>\n
Juan spent a number of years in the Netherlands and Belgium as
\na teenager. He graduated from the School of Law at local private
\nJayabaya University.<\/p>\n
\"I worked for a United States-based oil company while I was
\nfinishing my studies. I choose to do it this way although I knew
\nmy parents could afford to pay for my studies,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Juan said what he had received so far from his prestigious
\ncareer were all the fruits of hard work.<\/p>\n
\"My car and this office have nothing to do with my recent
\ncases,\" said the husband of Tri Lusiawati Darmakusumah.<\/p>\n
He said he received a handsome sum of money from Soeharto,
\nadding that the money remained \"untouched\".<\/p>\n
When asked why, he said: \"Because that's not what I'm after.\"<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/juan-blends-idealism-with-reality-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }