Beddu's house arrest extended

JAKARTA (JP): State prosecutors failed to meet their initial deadline on Monday to file the corruption charges against former chief of the National Logistics Agency (Bulog) Beddu Amang and extended the suspect's house arrest instead.

The Jakarta Prosecutors' Office assistant for special crimes, Andi Syarifuddin, said his team still need more time to complete the indictment.

"The indictment is almost completed. We hope we can file the case soon with the South Jakarta District Court long before his final term of arrest ends," he told journalists.

Beddu was arrested on Nov. 28 and put under the Attorney General's Office detention, but was then shifted to house arrest on Dec. 4 due to ill health. The term of detention, which had earlier been extended, is due on Jan. 16. The prosecutors extended it on Monday by another 30 days. If they fail to indict Beddu during this period, the suspect should be released.

This is the prosecutors' second attempt to bring Beddu to jail. Last year, Beddu was indicted and accused of conspiring with businessman Hokiarto in a land exchange deal with wholesaler PT Goro Batara Sakti in 1995, which caused Rp 76.7 billion in state losses.

Beddu's indictment was dropped on the grounds that the prosecutors failed to obtain the presidential approval required to question a state official. Beddu was then a member of the People's Consultative Assembly. (bby)