Akbar faces fresh, Rp 1b court case
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung is facing a fresh court case after a self-confessed middleman filed a lawsuit against the speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR) at the South Jakarta District Court on Thursday.
Kito Irkhani, a former aide to Attorney General M.A. Rachman, claimed that Akbar, one of Golkar's presidential aspirants, had promised to pay him Rp 1 billion (US$114,000) in order to closely monitor his corruption case, "convince" judges that Akbar was innocent and facilitate meetings between the judges and Akbar.
According to Kito's lawyer, Suhardi Somomoeljono, the agreement was reached on July 30, 2002.
"Although the Supreme Court has acquitted Akbar of corruption charges, he (Akbar) has not fulfilled his promise to our client," Kito's lawyer Suhardi Somomoeljono said.
"We are asking the court to order Akbar to pay the promised Rp 1 billion and another Rp 5 billion in material damages," he said.
It was not immediately clear if meetings between Akbar and the judges handling his case had ever taken place.
According to Suhardi, the verbal deal was reached some time in 2002 when the Golkar chairman was accused of misappropriating Rp 40 billion in State Logistics Agency (Bulog) money.
"Akbar asked my client to monitor the legal process thoroughly, beginning with the first hearing in the Central Jakarta District Court right up to the appeal," Suhardi told reporters.
"He (Akbar) also asked my client to persuade the judges handling the case that Akbar was clean," Suhardi said.
Based on the deal, Akbar handed over to Kito two checks each worth Rp 325 million for "operational expenses," he said.
Akbar was declared guilty of corruption and sentenced to three years in jail by the Central Jakarta District Court in 2002. The verdict was upheld by the Jakarta High Court in 2003, but was overturned by the Supreme Court in mid-February.
It remains to be seen, however, if this latest development will be treated as new evidence, and so lead to a reopening of Akbar's corruption case.
Neither Akbar nor his lawyers could not be reached for comment on Thursday.