Office praised for stopping terrorists<\/p>\n
Abdul Khalik and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta<\/p>\n
President Megawati Soekarnoputri praised on Thursday the Attorney
\nGeneral's Office (AGO) for its success in bringing terror and
\ndrug trafficking suspects to justice over the last few years.<\/p>\n
Before hundreds of prosecutors, who were commemorating the
\n44th anniversary of the institution here, the President said
\ncriticism had been directed to the office because the public was
\nuninformed about its achievements.<\/p>\n
\"The success of prosecutors to bring terror suspects in Bali
\nand Jakarta to court is no small achievement. While in many
\ncountries the fight against terrorism is merely rhetoric, we keep
\nbringing terror perpetrators to justice,\" said Megawati.<\/p>\n
She also complimented prosecutors for combating organized
\ncrime and seeking the maximum punishment for drug dealers in
\nrecent years.<\/p>\n
The President acknowledged that a number of prosecutors might
\nspoil the corps' image because of their lust for money and their
\nincapability to perform their duty.<\/p>\n
\"Therefore, all prosecutors must keep trying to improve their
\nknowledge, skills and professional abilities. We should pay
\nattention to, and focus on, the technical and professional skills
\nof prosecutors,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Law expert Luhut M. Pangaribuan, however, dismissed the
\nPresident's remarks, saying the performance of state prosecutors
\nwas far from satisfactory because only a few corruption and other
\nhigh-profile cases had been brought to court.<\/p>\n
\"I think the Attorney General's Office and prosecutors have
\nfailed to carry out their duty as one of the three pillars of our
\nlegal system. They have instead contributed to weak law
\nenforcement in the country,\" said Luhut.<\/p>\n
The office has, so far, been unable to bring many high profile
\ncases, such as the corruption case involving former President
\nSoeharto, the alleged misuse of hundreds of trillions of rupiah
\nin Bank Indonesia liquidity loans (BLBI) and many other banking
\nscandals to court.<\/p>\n
The office has also failed to collect necessary evidence in
\nits probe into the alleged masterminds of a shooting incident at
\nTrisakti University and ensuing riots in May 1998. Repeatedly,
\nprosecutors have returned case files submitted by the National
\nCommission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), citing a lack of
\nevidence.<\/p>\n
Luhut said the poor record had nothing to do with the
\nprosecutors' capability, but more their integrity.<\/p>\n
\"They fail to resolve many high-profile cases because they
\nlack commitment to uphold the law and strong leadership,\" said
\nLuhut.<\/p>\n
He said Megawati's compliment was politically motivated as she
\ndid not want to mock her own administration's performance in law
\nenforcement, particularly as she looks set to contest the second
\nround of the presidential election.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/office-praised-for-stopping-terrorists-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}