Court: Adiwarsita must remain in jail

JAKARTA: The South Jakarta District Court on Tuesday upheld the detention by prosecutors of two corruption suspects, House of Representatives member Adiwarsita and his alleged accomplice, H.A. Fattah.

The detention of the suspects was lawful as it was based on preliminary investigations into a graft case involving more than Rp 54.6 billion (US$6.06 million) in reforestation funds, Judge Edi Joenarso ruled.

In reply, Adnan Buyung Nasution, a lawyer for Adiwarsita and Fattah, said their clients would appeal to the Supreme Court.

Adwarsita, a House member from the Golkar Party who formerly chaired the Indonesian Forestry Business Association (APHI), and his former deputy, Fattah, were detained on Dec. 22, 2004, by the Attorney General's Office (AGO) for questioning over the case.

The suspects challenged their detention, claiming it was not well-grounded in law. --Antara