Exonerated, Akbar's chance improve: Court favors House leader

Exonerated, Akbar's chance improve: Court favors House leader

Tiarma Siboro and Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Golkar leader Akbar Tandjung broke his fast on Thursday and
later prostrated himself to the floor of his official residence
to express his gratitude to God, shortly after Supreme Court
presiding judge Paulus Effendy Lotulung acquitted him in a
corruption case.

After watching TV7 channel, which broadcast live the court
proceedings for nearly 8 hours, with two of his four daughters
Triana Krisandini and Sekar Krisnauli, and wife Krisnina
Maharani, Akbar eventually received from the five-judge panel the
message he had insisted he deserved to hear.

"The defendant is not proven guilty of abusing his position
and enriching himself and therefore he should be discharged from
the verdict against him," Paulus said to Akbar's relief, and his
wife then kissed him.

Akbar, who was clearly tense during the reading of the
verdict, did not try to hide his tears. His two daughters, who
skipped school to accompany their father on judgment day, also
cried.

Hundreds of Golkar politicians, Akbar's supporters and
journalists packed Akbar's official residence on Jl. Widya
Chandra, South Jakarta.

The support for Akbar did not only come from Golkar
politicians, but also from other parties. Barlianta Harahap and
Endin AJ Soefihara, of the United Development Party (PPP), and
Imam Addaruqutni, from the National Mandate Party (PAN), also
went to Akbar's house.

The guests had been at the house since morning and most
remained until 7 p.m. Akbar's supporters, both in the courtroom
and at his residence, shouted joyously when the reading of the
verdict was over.

The judges overturned a decision of the Central Jakarta Court,
which found the 59-year-old politician guilty in September 2002
of misuse of Rp 40 billion (US$4.8 million) in state funds. The
Jakarta High Court upheld the decision four months later.

Akbar's role in the money disbursement, according to the final
verdict, however, was merely "the implementation of an official
instruction and therefore the action cannot be classified as a
legal offense".

The speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR), who always
fasts every Monday and Thursday, commented on the favorable
outcome, saying, "I believe that I have done nothing wrong. Thank
God, this is the answer to my prayers."

One of the judges, Abdurrahman Saleh, however, had an opinion
that dissented from those of the other judges, and his opinion
was also included in the verdict. Paulus asked Abdurrahman to
read out his opinion.

"This verdict is a humiliation of the law when these judges
say that the lower courts have wrongly implemented the law," said
Abdurrahman.

The Supreme Court concluded that two other convicts, Dadang
Sukandar and Winfried Simatupang, who have each been sentenced by
the Central Jakarta District Court to 18-months in jail, were
guilty of misusing state funds.

In his position as state secretary under then president B.J.
Habibie, Akbar asked the two businessmen in 1999 to buy staple
foods for the poor, who were suffering badly from the country's
economic crisis in 1998 and 1999.

"I called on the public to respect the law because our state
is a law-abiding one. I have a legal problem, so the solution
must be arrived at through legal means -- via the Supreme Court,"
Akbar said in his appeal to the public.

In contrast to the excited reaction shown by his supporters in
Jakarta, people in his provincial hometown in North Sumatra did
not pay much attention to the event.

According to Antara, many in the province concentrated more on
their routine activities in predicting the outcome of the togel
(illegal lottery), drawn several times per week.

"Why should we discuss Akbar's fate? It's more productive to
bet!" said a becak driver in Medan.