Akbar's trial moved to Jakarta Fairground
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The trial of House Speaker Akbar Tandjung resumes on Monday with court officials moving the hearing from the Central Jakarta District Court to the Jakarta Fairground in Kemayoran, also in Central Jakarta.
"We have obtained permission from the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights to move the trial venue to the Jakarta Fairground," Central Jakarta District Court spokesman Andi Samsan Nganro said.
The trial of president Soeharto's youngest son Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, who is charged with illegal possession of firearms and masterminding the killing of Supreme Court Judge Syafiuddin Kartasasmita, will also be moved to the Jakarta Fairground, Andi said.
The permit to move the hearings to the Jakarta Fairground was signed by acting justice and human rights minister Hari Sabarno, who is also the minister for home affairs, he said.
According to Andi, the decision to change the venue was due to the large number of court observers coming to listen to the hearings.
Akbar, who is also chairman of the Golkar Party, the second biggest faction in the House of Representatives, has been charged with abusing power and enriching himself and others, charges that carry a 20-year prison sentence if convicted.
The beleaguered Golkar chairman has been accused of misappropriating State Logistics Agency (Bulog) funds totaling Rp 40 billion (US$4 million) allocated as aid for people most affected by the economic crisis in 1999.
Aside from Akbar, Raudhatul Jannah Foundation chairman Dadang Ruskandar and contractor Winfried Simatupang are also on trial.
Akbar's hearing is held on Mondays, while Tommy's on Wednesdays.
"The hearings had caused traffic jams, which troubled the court's neighbors. Besides, the police would be able to safeguard the trials more easily," Andi said.
Akbar's trial opened at the Central Jakarta District Court on Jl. Gadjah Mada, Central Jakarta on March 25 under tight police security.
Hundreds of demonstrators, Akbar's supporters and those protesting against him, staged a noisy protest outside the court but they dispersed peacefully after the hearing.
Before the hearing on March 25, the Jakarta Police had already asked the court to move it to a "safer location" for security reasons.
State prosecutors handed over Akbar's files to the court in less than three hours in mid-March -- compared with three days to a week for other cases -- after they received the dossiers from the Attorney General's Office.
Central Jakarta District Court chief Subardi, now a judge at the Bandung High Court, appointed five judges to hear Akbar's case, namely Amiruddin Zakaria, Andi Samsan Nganro, I Ketut Gede, Herri Swantoro and Pramodana K. Kusumah Atmadja.
Amiruddin, a senior judge at the court, served as the presiding judge.
Although sanctioned under prevailing laws, the appointment of five judges for Akbar's corruption case has surprised many since criminal cases are usually handled by three judges only.
Speculations are rife that the appointment of the five judges was merely designed to deceive the public at large that the trial outcome would be fair and just.