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)