Bring Tommy's case to MPR's annual session: PDI Perjuangan
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak and Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) faction at the House of Representatives urged the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) to assess the Supreme Court's controversial decision on Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, who had been convicted of graft charges, during its annual session next month.
"In the meeting, the assembly should ask the court to examine the ruling. Even though the decision appears to be in compliance with existing laws, it has definitely betrayed the people's sense of justice," the faction spokesman, Teras Narang, told reporters on Monday.
He contended that such a decision, which exonerated Tommy from corruption charges, had disappointed the general public.
"Whatever legal decision is taken in the future would not be trusted by the people," he added.
Teras said that his faction had also urged Chief Justice Bagir Manan to appeal to the President to dismiss the three justices on the court's panel, who overturned their colleagues' earlier verdict to impose a prison sentence on the fugitive son of former ruler Soeharto.
The faction's chairman, Arifin Panigoro, said the call for the dismissal of the justices would be made at the annual session.
"Anything is possible at the meeting," he said without elaborating.
Arifin refused to comment on whether there was a possibility of political conspiracy behind the move of exonerating Tommy.
"I don't want to make speculations," he said.
Separately, the South Jakarta Prosecutors' Office decided on Monday to give more time for Tommy, who has been on the run for the last 11 months, to appear to sign notification accepting the Supreme Court's ruling.
Tommy's lawyer Nudirman Munir said he did not know the reason why his client had failed to fulfill the office's summons on Monday because there was no way for him to ensure that Tommy had received the summons or to confirm his appearance.
"He only contacts his elder sisters if he needs something. And it's a one-way communication. If he doesn't call, then we cannot reach him.
"I don't know when Tommy will show up but hopefully he can get back all his civil rights by the end of this month," he told The Jakarta Post.
The state prosecutors have seized Tommy's assets and properties as collateral for the latter's obligation to recover the state losses he was alleged to have caused in a land swap deal with the National Logistics Agency (Bulog) in 1995.
Head of the South Jakarta Prosecutors' office Antasari Azhar, the executor of the case, said that should Tommy fail to answer the summons for the third time, his conviction would continue to stand and his properties would be handed over to the state.
He said the second summons had been sent which required Tommy to show up on Friday.
Meanwhile, the immigration office warned the Attorney General's Office on Monday that Tommy's one-year overseas travel ban was due to expire on Tuesday.