Bob Hasan's graft trial begins on Sept. 20

Bob Hasan's graft trial begins on Sept. 20

JAKARTA (JP): The multimillion dollar graft trial against
timber tycoon and former president Soeharto's golfing buddy,
Muhamad "Bob" Hasan, will begin on Wednesday next week at the
Central Jakarta District Court, an official said on Monday.

"The panel of judges will comprise judges Poerwanto and Ali
Akmal Haqy as members and myself as the presiding judge. The over
5000-page dossier of the defendant and a 52-page indictment were
handed over by prosecutors on Friday evening," head of the
Central Jakarta District Court, Subardi, told The Jakarta Post.

"Hasan officially became a defendant when he was put under the
court's custody on Friday."

The graft has allegedly caused US$75.62 million in state
losses and $168 million in losses to the Indonesian Forest
Concessionaires Association.

The defendant's dossier stated that the primary charge against
the defendant was the violation of Paragraph 1a of Article 1 of
the 1971 Anti-corruption Law, for enriching himself at the
state's expense.

The article carries a maximum punishment of life imprisonment,
with or without a Rp 30 million fine.

Coincidentally, the primary charges against Hasan and Soeharto
are the same.

Subardi added that as it would be for the Soeharto trial, the
trial of Bob Hasan would also be held under "very strict
security" at the Central Jakarta District Court, where seats for
the public would be limited and the press would have to register
themselves at the court for special ID cards to cover the trial.

"The date for registration has not been set... it should be a
few days before the initial hearing," Subardi said.

Hasan, who briefly served as the minister of industry and
trade under former president Soeharto, had been detained at the
Attorney General's Office since March 28 when he was named a
suspect in the graft case.

The case centers on a government project to map Indonesia's
forests. The project was awarded to Hasan's company, PT Mapindo
Parama. (ylt)