Budiman walks out of courtroom

Budiman walks out of courtroom

JAKARTA (JP): The subversion trial of youth activist Budiman
Sudjatmiko continued at the Central Jakarta District Court
yesterday without the defendant or his lawyers.

Budiman, the leader of the Democratic People's Party (PRD),
walked out of the courtroom followed by his team of lawyers about
an hour after yesterday's hearing opened.

The walkout came after the panel of judges refused Budiman's
request to hear the testimony of his witness, a labor expert.

When judge Sjoffinan Sumantri asked Budiman whether he was
willing to be heard, Budiman said, "I am forced to reject the
hearing over me."

"I'll let you go, I didn't drive you out," Sjoffinan replied.

As Budiman and his lawyers walked out onlookers cheered. Judge
Sjoffinan was visibly annoyed and told the onlookers to leave the
courtroom.

Budiman and 15 other members of the PRD have been charged
under the subversion law for allegedly undermining the state and
insulting the government through party activities.

They are being tried separately at the Central and South
Jakarta District courts and in the Surabaya District Court in
East Java.

In refusing Budiman's lawyers' request, Sjoffinan said he had
already given the lawyers two chances to present an expert
witness.

The lawyers conceded they had made mistakes, but they asked
the judge to give them another chance because the witness was now
in court. They said that after the witness gave his testimony,
Budiman would be willing to be heard.

When the judge refused the request, Luhut M.P. Pangaribuan,
one of Budiman's lawyers said, "The judges are not acting under
the law, but under the power".

The judge replied, "It's up to you to interpret. If you are
not satisfied, you can appeal to a higher court."

Budiman then told the court that Sjoffinan was not putting all
his effort into the case.

"This is about one's life," Budiman said, before he refused to
be heard.

If found guilty, Budiman faces a maximum penalty of death.

Yesterday at the Jakarta Administrative Court, a judge
dismissed the lawsuit of Megawati Soekarnoputri, the ousted
leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI). Megawati is
opposed to President Soeharto, Minister/State Secretary
Moerdiono, Attorney General Singgih, and the South Jakarta Police
Chief Lt. Col. Sisno Adiwinoto.

Megawati demanded the court annul orders issued by Moerdiono
and Singgih to the police to investigate her and her husband
Taufiq Kiemas as witnesses in the police investigation of
Haryanto Taslam, a PDI leader, suspected of organizing a
political meeting at Megawati's residence in South Jakarta.

Her lawyers said that as members of the House of
Representatives, Megawati and Taufiq cannot be investigated by
police without written presidential approval.

Judge Lintong Oloan Siahaan said that presidential spoken
approval was legal because up till now there has been no law
which regulated that the approval should be in written form. (05)