Australia, RI boost legal cooperation

Australia, RI boost legal cooperation

JAKARTA: Indonesia and Australia began a two-day meeting on
Tuesday to foster legal cooperation between them, which will
include the development of a legal system and the making of laws.

Visiting Australian Attorney General Daryl Williams said that
the ties would provide "a wide range of benefits for both
countries".

"Indonesia needs to encourage foreign investments which will
come when the rule of law is observed and the legal system is
functioning effectively," Williams said during the inaugural
Joint Meeting of the Working Group on Legal Cooperation.

The meeting follows up on the ministerial forum held on Feb.
1999 between the Australian Attorney General's Department and the
Indonesian Ministry of Justice and Human Rights.

Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra will
hold a private meeting with Williams on Wednesday to discuss the
extradition mechanism of Indonesian businessman Hendra Rahardja,
who was handed a life sentence by the Central Jakarta District
Court last month for graft. Hendra was convicted for visa
violations in Australia in 2000, pending a higher court's
decision. --JP