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.