Attorney General's office appeal Tommy's decision

JAKARTA (JP): The Attorney General's office has filed an appeal to the Supreme Court against the acquittal of former president Soeharto's youngest son Hutomo Mandala Putra from corruption charges in a land exchange deal.

Spokesman for the Attorney General's office Soehandoyo was quoted by Antara as saying on Wednesday that the South Jakarta Prosecutor's office filed the appeal last Friday.

In October the South Jakarta District Court freed Hutomo, popularly known as Tommy, and his business associate Ricardo Gelael, both executives of the wholesale firm PT Goro Batara Sakti, from all corruption charges in a Rp 95.4 billion land exchange deal with the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) in 1995, citing lack of evidence.

Prosecutors had earlier asked the court to sentence Tommy to two years in jail and order him to repay Rp 28.15 billion to the state in compensation for the losses.

They said Tommy had violated Article 28 of the 1971 Law on corruption, which carries a maximum punishment of 20 years in jail.

Tommy, Ricardo and former Bulog chairman Beddu Amang were simultaneously indicted at the court in April this year. Beddu's indictment was later dropped since at the time he was still a member of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR).

The defendants were indicted for their alleged involvement in an exchange deal over 50 hectares of land belonging to Bulog in the Kelapa Gading area, North Jakarta. In return, PT Goro Batara Sakti was obliged to provide 71 hectares of land in Marunda, North Jakarta.

Critics said Tommy's acquittal and the termination of investigations into Soeharto's alleged corruption indicated that the government of former president B.J. Habibie was not serious in eradicating corruption.

The new Attorney General Marzuki Darusman has pledged to reopen investigations into Soeharto. (byg)