Soeharto files suit against attorney general<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Only two days after the Attorney General's
\nOffice issued a ruling on Monday that former president Soeharto
\nbe put under house arrest, the country's former strongman has
\nstruck back challenging the validity of the ruling.<\/p>\n
Spokesman to the South Jakarta District Court Soedarto
\nconfirmed on Friday that the court received the pretrial lawsuit
\non Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\"The lawsuit is now in the hands of the Head of the South
\nJakarta District Court. It's his authority to name the
\nprosecuting judges,\" Soedarto told reporters at his office.<\/p>\n
Secretary to the South Jakarta District Court, M. Yusuf
\nMaulana, however confirmed that the initial hearing of the
\nlawsuit would be held next Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\"Judge Roesmandani will be the sole judge presiding the
\npretrial hearing, which is scheduled to be completed within seven
\ndays,\" Maulana said.<\/p>\n
Based on court protocol, a pretrial hearing is led by only one
\njudge. The court protocol also states that the hearing should be
\ncompleted within seven days.<\/p>\n
In the lawsuit, Soeharto demanded the Court declare that an
\nOct. 11, 1999 decree of the office, which halted the
\ninvestigation into Soeharto's alleged practices of corruption,
\ncollusion and nepotism, was lawful.<\/p>\n
The former strongman also urged the district court to declare
\nas unlawful the office's April 13, 2000 decree which put Soeharto
\nunder city arrest, the office's May 29, 2000 decree which
\nconverted the city arrest status into a house arrest status, and
\nthe office's decree to prolong his arrest period.<\/p>\n
All Soeharto's lawyers signed the lawsuit. They were Juan
\nFelix Tampubolon, Syamsul Hadi, O.C. Kaligis, Victor Siregar,
\nIndriyanto Seno Adji, Mohammad Asegaff, Denny Kailimang and
\nAibrah Said.<\/p>\n
The lawsuit names Attorney General Marzuki Darusman, Deputy
\nAttorney General for Special Crimes Ramelan and the office's
\nDirector for Investigation Affairs Ris Shombing as defendants.<\/p>\n
The lawsuit was apparently a response to the Office's decision
\nto tighten control over the former president, as the office had
\nshifted Soeharto's arrest status from city arrest to house arrest
\non Monday.<\/p>\n
Attorney General Marzuki Darusman ordered the former president
\nbe put under house arrest immediately after he met with President
\nAbdurrahman Wahid on Monday.<\/p>\n
Spokesman to the Attorney General's Office Yushar Yahya said
\nthe decision was taken to accelerate the ongoing alleged
\ncorruption investigation into the former president.<\/p>\n
The investigation was put on setback after then acting
\nattorney general Ismudjoko decided on Oct. 11 last year that the
\noffice stop the year-long investigation into the former president
\ndue to lack of evidence.<\/p>\n
But, Marzuki Darusman, who replaced Ismudjoko last December,
\nordered that the office reopen the investigation into alleged
\ncorruption by the former president.<\/p>\n
Marzuki said, without going into detail, that his office had
\ndiscovered new evidence, eligible to reopen the investigation
\ninto the former president. (asa)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/soeharto-files-suit-against-attorney-general-1447893297",
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