KPK quizzes Probosutedjo, justice<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) questioned on Monday
\nbusinessman Probosutedjo, the half-brother of former president
\nSoeharto, for the second time in connection with bribes he paid
\nto judges and prosecutors to escape prosecution.<\/p>\n
Up until Monday evening, there was no official explanation
\nregarding the substance of the questioning. The commission's
\ndeputy chairman Erry Riyana Hardjapamekas said earlier
\nProbosutedja would undergo \"advanced questioning\".<\/p>\n
Probosutedjo claimed he was the whistle-blower in the bribery
\ncase, and said therefore he deserved protection as a witness. He
\nhad said he was extorted and spent a total of Rp 16 billion
\n(US$1,6 million) to evade prison.<\/p>\n
The KPK investigators also quizzed Supreme Court Justice Usman
\nKarim, one of the three judges hearing Probosutedjo's appeal
\ncase. The questioning followed a search of his office and the
\noffices of Chief Justice Bagir Manan and Justice Parman Suparman
\nby KPK investigators last week.<\/p>\n
Separately, state prosecutors questioned former lawyers of
\nProbosutedjo at the Attorney General's Office in a bid to seek
\nevidence of their client's statement that he had also paid bribes
\nto prosecutors.<\/p>\n
Sonny J. Lumantow and Richard Marbun, who represented
\nProbosutedjo when he was prosecuted by a district court, denied
\ntheir former client's claim that he had bribed judges and
\nprosecutors through the lawyers.<\/p>\n
\"His statement is not true. He gave us only a fee, it was not
\nused to bribe anyone. Maybe Pak Probo does not remember,\" Sonny
\nsaid after the questioning.<\/p>\n
Sonny claimed that Probosutedjo had agreed to pay Rp 8.75
\nbillion in legal fees for a dozen lawyers from his law office to
\nrepresent him in four separate cases.<\/p>\n
\"He only paid us Rp 5.12 billion. He hasn't paid the rest. If
\nhe said there was money to bribe prosecutors, which money was
\nthat? He hasn't even paid all of the legal fees,\" he told
\nreporters.<\/p>\n
Probosutedjo has also failed to fulfill his promise to buy two
\nhouses worth Rp 1.7 billion each and two cars for him and
\nRichard, Sonny said.<\/p>\n
Probosutedjo was supposed to face questioning at the Attorney
\nGeneral's Office on Monday. But his lawyer, Arizal Boer, said his
\nclient would respond to the summons only if the questioning was
\nheld to seek clarification from his client.<\/p>\n
At the Supreme Court, Jakarta High Court judges Samang Hamidi
\nand Sri Sumartinah were interrogated over the bribes they
\nallegedly received from Probosutedjo. Both judges were members of
\na panel of judges who heard the businessman's first appeal.<\/p>\n
The panel halved the four-year sentence handed down by the
\nCentral Jakarta District Court against the businessman for misuse
\nof reforestation funds that cost the state some Rp 100 billion.<\/p>\n
Justice Djoko Sarwoko, who questioned Samang, said no evidence
\nhad been found so far regarding the bribes paid by Probosutedjo
\nto the judges.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/kpk-quizzes-probosutedjo-justice-1447893297",
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