Chief Justice interrogated by corruption commission
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigators finally managed to question Supreme Court Chief Justice Bagir Manan on Friday in connection with a high profile bribery case.
The questioning took place a day after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono summoned top officials of the two law enforcement agencies for talks. Relations are believed to have been tense between the two sides after a recent KPK search of the Supreme Court offices and a much-criticized move by Bagir to snub an earlier summons by the KPK.
But instead of Bagir coming to the KPK office, which is located right opposite the Supreme Court building on Jl. Veteran III, Central Jakarta, the KPK investigators came to him, in what some said could set a bad precedent for the principle of equality before the law.
Bagir has been accused of receiving part of the total Rp 16 billion (US$1.6 million) in bribe money allocated by business tycoon Probosutedjo to judges, prosecutors, and court staff in exchange for his acquittal on a corruption charge involving the misuse of government reforestation funds. Resolving the alleged bribery case is also seen as a test for Susilo's commitment to curb rampant graft in the country.
But for now, Bagir was questioned in his capacity as a witness in the case of Harini Wijoso, the lawyer for Probosutedjo, who was caught by KPK investigators two months ago giving a sum of money to five Supreme Court employees. The bribery case came to the surface following Harini's arrest at a time when the Probosutedjo case was on appeal at the Supreme Court. Bagir led the panel of three judges handling the case.
KPK deputy chairman Erry Riyana Hardjapamekas accompanied KPK investigators led by Ahmad Wiyagus to Bagir's office for the questioning session on Friday morning. He left the chief justice's room about 30 minutes later.
Justice Harifin A. Tumpa, who attended the questioning, said the KPK investigators questioned Bagir about the process of appointing the justices for the Probosutedjo appeal case. Bagir has recently appointed a new panel of judges for the case.
"He looked relaxed," Harifin told dozens of reporters, who were waiting outside the chief justice's office.
Later that day, however, a visibly tense Bagir refused to be shot by photographers after performing Friday prayers.
Harifin dismissed suggestions the KPK was giving "special treatment" to Bagir by conducting the probe at the judge's office. In past cases, the KPK summoned witnesses and suspects to its office.
Justice Usman, a member of the previous panel of justices handling the Probosutedjo case, was forced to come to the KPK office for questioning. General Elections Commission (KPU) chairman Nazaruddin Syamsuddin was also questioned at the office.
"This is not discriminatory. It's a move to respect the institution (of the Supreme Court). The chief justice represents the institution," Harifin said.
A KPK source, who insisted on anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case, also said the decision to question Bagir in his office was made to "respect the intra-state institutional ethics."
"We took the policy as we respect the Supreme Court, although Bagir was questioned in his capacity as a member of the panel of justices who heard Probosutedjo's case," the source said.