Ex-AG tells court to suspend case against Endin

Ex-AG tells court to suspend case against Endin

JAKARTA (JP): Former attorney general and former chairman of
the now dissolved joint anti-corruption team (TGPTPK) told
Central Jakarta District Court on Tuesday to halt the defamation
case against Endin Wahyudin.

"In order to uphold the law, I suggest this court is suspended
until the first case, involving allegedly corrupt judges is
finalized," former attorney general Marzuki Darusman told the
court.

Marzuki, a witness, admitted that when he was attorney
general, he failed to halt the defamation case against Endin
although he had the power to do so.

He did not give any explanation as to why he did not stop the
libel case although he acknowledged that his office could have
stopped it in order to pursue another case that had greater
impact on the public.

Justice Supraptini Sutarto and Justice Marnis Kahar filed a
complaint to the National Police in August last year against
Endin and then TGPTPK chairman Adi Andojo Soetjipto for
defamation.

In his testimony to the TGPTPK, Endin admitted having bribed
three judges to rule in favor of his acquaintance Sunata Sumali
in a dispute over a 17,000-square-meter piece of land in Bandung,
West Java, with plaintiff Aminah.

Another justice, reported by Endin, is Yahya Harahap who has
since retired.

Endin was not directly involved in the land dispute and was a
middleman between the judges and Sumali.

Prior to agreeing to become a witness in the bribery case
involving the three judges, Endin was promised by Marzuki that
his case would be revoked if he agreed to become a witness
against the three judges.

"I would like to stress to the court yet again, of the
attorney general's statement to me, that my case would be revoked
should I testify," Endin told the court at the end of Marzuki's
testimony.

Former TGPTPK chairman Adi Andojo also recommended the court
to halt the libel case against Endin until the corruption case
involving the three judges was finalized.

"Based on my experience as a judge, the court should decide on
the main case and then proceed to try related cases... I
recommend, therefore, that the court halt this defamation trial,"
Adi said.

Adi said that he had recommended to the Jakarta Prosecutors
Office not to proceed with the defamation case against Endin, but
the libel trial commenced soon after Adi resigned from TGPTPK on
March 19 because he failed to bring any corruption cases to
court.

In his statement at the end of Tuesday's court session, Endin
expressed his distress at the court proceedings.

"I was asked to combat corruption at the nation's judicial
body, yet I am now the first to be victimized. I find this
tragic," he said.(06)