Beddu's house arrest extended

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)