District court to go hi-tech
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Central Jakarta District Court plans to go high-tech in the trial of former chief of the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) as it decided on Tuesday to hear the testimony of former president B.J. Habibie via videoconferencing.
If the plan materializes, it will be the first time an Indonesian court has employed the technology.
Rahardi, who is accused of manipulating Rp 62.9 billion (about US$6.7 million) of Bulog non-budgetary funds, is a lecturer at the Surabaya Institute of Technology, while Habibie, who currently lives in Germany, is a former minister of research and technology.
Prosecutor Kemas Yahya Rahman had earlier suggested that Habibie's case files be read, but presiding judge Lalu Mariyun insisted that Habibie's testimony be heard live "to reveal to the public the facts about the case thoroughly."
The videoconferencing idea was supported by Rahardi's lawyers, but Kemas said that the Attorney General's Office could not afford to conduct a videoconference.
"Well, prosecutors could afford the questioning in Germany. It means the Attorney General's Office has the funds, maybe some of it is still left," Lalu said.
Last December, two prosecutors questioned Habibie in Hamburg.
Lalu suggested that prosecutors ask for assistance from the University of Indonesia to conduct the hearing.
"I talked to Professor Erman Radjaguguk (the head of the university post-graduate program) last week. He welcomed my idea and said that the university has the equipment (to conduct the videoconference)," he said.
Lalu said even though the Criminal Law Procedures Code does not mention videoconferencing, it does not mean that such testimony is not accepted.
"I will give you time to arrange the videoconference, meanwhile we will continue the hearing by presenting other witnesses," he told the prosecutor.
In 1998, independent counsel Kenneth Starr was able to present then president of the United States Bill Clinton to testify before the grand jury investigating his relationship with Monica Lewinsky through a videoconference.