Court fails to hand down verdict for Sjahril Sabirin

Court fails to hand down verdict for Sjahril Sabirin

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A headache and a cough led a judge to postpone on Wednesday the
verdict in the case of Central Bank governor Sjahril Sabirin, who
is charged with corruption.

"My condition is not good. I couldn't stand even sitting for
half an hour because of a headache and a cough," said Central
Jakarta District Court judge Soebardi, who presided over the
trial.

The trial was adjourned for a week.

Sjahril is being tried for his alleged involvement in the 1999
Bank Bali scandal, which caused the state losses of Rp 904
billion.

The scandal captivated the public with allegations that the
bank received the loan with assistance from PT Era Giat Prima (PT
EGP), a company linked with the Golkar Party and which received a
Rp 546 billion commission for its assistance.

The money is believed to have been used to help fund the
reelection campaign of president B.J. Habibie, who eventually
lost the race.

Prosecutor Y.W. Mere, who asked the court to sentence Sjahril
to four years in prison, did not object to the postponement.

Sjahril and his lawyers also accepted the postponement calmly.

Sjahril said he understood the judge's decision as "getting
sick is normal, we can't control someone's health".

"I believe I'll be cleared (of the charge)," he told reporters
after the hearing, which was attended by several Bank Indonesia
officials and former top government officials.

Those involved in the case and observers have been awaiting
the verdict for some time now. On Jan. 21, after hearing the
defense's final statement, the court was adjourned until March 6,
when it was scheduled to read the verdict. The reason for the
long wait was so that Soebardi could perform the pilgrimage to
Mecca, from which he returned several days ago.

Sjahril also planned to go on the pilgrimage, but the Attorney
General's Office prevented him from leaving the country.

Sjahril is accused of violating the law by disbursing the loan
to Bank Bali under a government guarantee scheme, although it did
not meet the requirements.

According to the indictment, the disbursement of the loan
occurred after Sjahril attended a meeting at the Hotel Mulia in
Central Jakarta with PT EGP president Setya Novanto; PT EGP
executive Djoko Tjandra; former Indonesian Bank Restructuring
Agency vice chairman Pande Lubis; former state minister for state
enterprises Tanri Abeng; Bank Bali president Rudy Ramli; and
former Supreme Advisory Council chairman A.A. Baramuli.

Setya, Djoko and Pande were acquitted of graft charges two
years ago, while a court suspended Rudy's case due to a "lack of
evidence".

The Attorney General's Office at one time mentioned Tanri as a
possible suspect in the case, but no action was ever taken.