Tommy's case far from being closed<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
As uproar over the exoneration of former president Soeharto's
\nyoungest son increases, the Attorney General's Office pledged on
\nWednesday to continue its legal fight by filing a case review
\nwith the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, legislators asked relevant authorities to
\ninvestigate the members of the panel of justices who exonerated
\nHutomo \"Tommy\" Mandala Putra of corruption charges.<\/p>\n
Attorney General M.A. Rachman said, after meeting with
\nPresident Megawati Soekarnoputri in Jakarta, that his office
\nwould immediately form a team to analyze the Supreme Court's
\nreview ruling on Tommy's case.<\/p>\n
The new team would be directly under his control, Rachman
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"It is possible to do so (file another review) as it happened
\nin Muchtar Pakpahan's case,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Indonesian Prosperity Trade Union (SBSI) chairman Muchtar
\nPakpahan, who was sentenced to three years in jail for inciting
\nriots in Medan, won a review case at the Supreme Court in 1995.<\/p>\n
However, the Attorney General filed another review, and the
\nSupreme Court returned him to jail in 1996.<\/p>\n
Legal expert Albert Hasibuan said it was impossible for the
\nAttorney General's Office to submit another case review as
\nTommy's case differed from the Pakpahan case.<\/p>\n
\"The case has been through the final process and there is no
\npossibility of reopening it. The public should accept the fact
\nthat the case is closed,\" he told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, Rachman said that even if this case were closed,
\nhis office would continue to pursue others related to Tommy,
\nincluding the assassination of Justice Syafiuddin Kartasasmita,
\nwho last year sentenced Tommy to 18 months in jail for graft.<\/p>\n
\"The verdict that overturned his conviction will not wipe out
\nthe allegations against him in other cases.<\/p>\n
\"For as long as he does not provide clarification about his
\ninvolvement, we will continue to investigate his role in those
\ncases,\" Rachman said.<\/p>\n
Police have repeatedly accused Tommy, who has been on the run
\nsince November, as having masterminded the drive-by shooting of
\nSyafiuddin and being behind a spate of bombings in the capital.<\/p>\n
A prominent legal scholar from Surabaya-based Airlangga
\nUniversity, JE Sahetapy, blasted the Supreme Court's ruling that
\noverturned its own verdict over Tommy.<\/p>\n
Sahetapy contended that the justices had used the wrong legal
\ninstruments to conduct their review. They had used civil law and
\ndisregarded the criminal code, while the case itself was a
\ncorruption case.<\/p>\n
\"I will ask the government or the House of Representatives to
\nestablish a team to investigate this matter,\" said Sahetapy,
\nhimself a legislator from the Indonesian Democratic Party of
\nStruggle in the House Commission II on legal affairs.<\/p>\n
Legislators Alvin Lie and Samuel Kotto from the Reform faction
\nat the House and Effendy Choirie from the National Awakening
\nParty (PKB) faction all demanded that the relevant authorities
\ninvestigate the three justices to see whether they had been
\nbribed or intimidated into issuing the verdict.<\/p>\n
They are M. Taufik, Soeharto (no relation to the former
\npresident) and Geerman Hoediarto.<\/p>\n
\"I'm confused how the three justices could free Tommy, who, in
\nthe first place, does not respect the law,\" Alvin Lie said.<\/p>\n
Effendy added, \"It's not impossible that there was a
\n'stitchup' before the decision was taken.\"<\/p>\n
Effendy added that he would instruct all PKB legislators at
\nCommission II to propose to the commission that it fire the three
\njustices and replace them with those of integrity.<\/p>\n
Kotto agreed that the House should withdraw its support for
\nthe three justices.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/tommys-case-far-from-being-closed-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}