Rahardi dismisses lawyers<\/p>\n
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The
\nJakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Prime defendant in the Rp 62.9 billion State Logistics Agency
\n(Bulog) scandal Rahardi Ramelan has dismissed his defense team
\nfollowing the court's decision to extend his detention.<\/p>\n
Rahardi, who was the Bulog chief when the alleged crime took
\nplace in 1999, has also withdrawn his libel lawsuit against a
\nweekly magazine.<\/p>\n
One of the lawyers, Yan Djuanda Saputra, told reporters on
\nThursday that Rahardi had sent a letter dated April 9 to the
\nnine-member team, informing them of his decision to withdraw the
\nletters of appointment from his attorneys.<\/p>\n
\"We respect his decision. We have done our best ... but the
\nreason he has not yet got his freedom back is because we cannot
\ninterfere with the authority of the court,\" Yan Djuanda told
\nreporters.<\/p>\n
The lawyers and family of Rahardi have five times requested
\nthat his detention be lifted but to no avail.<\/p>\n
Instead, the court extended Rahardi's detention by another 60
\ndays on April 5. Rahardi has been Cipinang prison, East Jakarta,
\nsince Feb. 28.<\/p>\n
Unlike Rahardi, his alleged accomplice in the Bulog scandal,
\nHouse of Representatives speaker and Golkar Party chairman Akbar
\nTandjung, was relieved when the court released him after only 30
\ndays in custody in a comfortable Attorney General's Office cell.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, South Jakarta District Court spokesman Ida Bagus
\nPutu Madeg said that Rahardi had withdrawn his libel lawsuit
\nagainst Forum Keadilan magazine.<\/p>\n
\"We accepted the withdrawal of the suit as we have yet to
\nsummon the accused,\" Madeg told reporters.<\/p>\n
Rahardi's lawsuit against the weekly was registered by Andar
\nSitumorang on March 28.<\/p>\n
The lawyer is currently serving an eight-month jail term in
\nCipinang Penitentiary for forging his bachelor's degree.<\/p>\n
The lawsuit related to an article in the March 24 edition
\nabout Rahardi's role in the scandal. He demanded that the court
\nrevoke the magazine's publishing license and order the weekly to
\npay him Rp 1 billion in damages.<\/p>\n
Also on Thursday, Attorney General's Office spokesman Barman
\nZahir said investigators needed more time to complete their
\ninvestigations into another suspect in the scandal, Bulog's
\nformer deputy finance chief Ahmad Ruskandar.<\/p>\n
\"He is now suspected not only of swindling Rp 4.6 billion in
\ntaxpayers' money, but also of illegally disbursing Rp 62.9
\nbillion. The investigators are now questioning more witnesses,\"
\nBarman said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/rahardi-dismisses-lawyers-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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