Akbar's trial moved to Jakarta Fairground

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.