Court renounces 'outsiders' opinion'

Court renounces 'outsiders' opinion'

JAKARTA (JP): The Supreme Court renounced yesterday the
opinion that Chief Justice Soerjono's insistence on firing deputy
Chief Justice for General Crimes Adi Andojo Soetjipto has put
President Soeharto in a difficult position.

"There is no such term as 'cornering the President'. This is
merely the opinion of outsiders," Toton Suprapto, the Court's
spokesman, told reporters yesterday.

Adi sparked the controversy when he alleged earlier this year
that collusion practices, including bribery, were rife in the
Supreme Court. Soerjono contradicted the allegation by saying
that an internal probe team had found no evidence to substantiate
the claim.

The chief justice later ordered Adi to desist from making
further allegations, because his actions were deemed undermining
the Court's integrity.

During most of the conflict, Soerjono rarely spoke to the
press, represented only by Toton.

According to Toton, the Court is not violating any procedures
by sending a letter to the President requesting Adi's dismissal.

Accompanying Toton was the Court's Secretary-General, Mangatas
Nasution, who confirmed that Soerjono's request to retire this
November was finally sent out to the state secretary yesterday,
four months after Soerjono had filed the request.

"The Court administrative's recklessness caused the delay of
the form, which was signed by Soerjono on March 18," Mangatas
said.

Yusril Ihza Mahendra, a lecturer on constitutional law at the
University of Indonesia, said during a television interview
yesterday that the protracted dispute could be solved internally.

"Soerjono still has three months before he retires," he said.

Adi would reach the retirement age of 65 for the position he
holds next year, while Soerjono would turn 65 by Oct. 22 this
year.

Mangatas added that civil servants holding special positions,
such as chief justice, do not submit to the same procedures that
regular civil servants follow. The latter must submit their
requests 1.5 years before they reach the age of retirement.

Meanwhile, around 100 students from the University of
Indonesia, claiming to represent 30,000 other university
students, staged a protest at the Supreme Court on Jl. Merdeka
Utara after being denied a chance to meet Soerjono, who assigned
Toton to deal with the students.

The students rejected Toton's invitation to 10 student
representatives to meet him in his office.

Facril Hamzah, one of the student leaders, said that the group
did not want to meet Toton. (16/14)