Court rejects annulment of Akbar investigation

Court rejects annulment of Akbar investigation

JAKARTA (JP): The South Jakarta district court dismissed a
suit on Monday filed by Kurnia Ananda against the National Police
headquarters for suspending its investigation into Akbar Tandjung
whom the plaintiff alleged had falsified land deeds.

The court maintained that the suit was invalid since it
involved a case which exceeded the 12-year limit as stipulated in
the Criminal Code.

Presiding judge Poernowo said the police's decision to suspend
the investigation was legal as "the case reported by the
plaintiff is statute-barred."

The court pointed to Article 78 paragraph 1 of the Criminal
Code which states that a case can no longer be tried if more than
12 years after the occurrence.

Kurnia first filed a report in 1983 against his uncle, Akbar
who as state minister for public housing has allegedly falsified
documents on a 23-hectare plot of land in Srengseng, Kebun Jeruk
in West Jakarta.

Kurnia claimed that the land belonged to Akbar's elder
brother, the late Dato Usman Zahiruddin, Kurnia's father.

However in 1994 the South Jakarta district court dismissed the
case.

A year later Kurnia again filed a report with the police.

After repeated attempts to push the police to continue their
investigation, Kurnia then brought the case to the National
Ombudsman Commission in November 2000.

Under the advice of the Commission, police reopened the
investigation and even summoned Akbar, who was by then speaker of
the House of Representatives, for questioning.

But on June 15 police suspended their investigation citing
that it was statute-bared.

Kurnia then filed a lawsuit challenging the police's decision
to suspend the investigation on July 9.

Following the verdict Andi Wahyudin, Kurnia's lawyer, said his
client would appeal the case.

"There seems to be a systematic effort to protect Akbar," Andi
charged. (06)