Former attorney general denies promise to informant
Former attorney general denies promise to informant
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
A lawyer for former attorney general Marzuki Darusman denied on
Tuesday his client had provided a written guarantee that Endin
Wahyudin, who blew the whistle on alleged bribery in the Supreme
Court, would win any defamation suits brought against him as a
result of his action.
"My client never gave such a guarantee to Endin Wahyudin,"
Chairunisa Jafizham said after attending the hearing of a suit
filed by Endin with the South Jakarta District Court.
In the suit, Endin accuses former Supreme Court justice Adi
Andojo Sutjipto, who chaired the now-defunct Anticorruption Joint
Team, and Marzuki Darusman of failing to provide him promised
legal protection in return for his becoming a whistle-blower.
Endin is seeking Rp 2.5 billion (US$294,117) in damages and
another Rp 750,000 for material losses. He has also asked the
court to issue an asset preservation order against the two
defendants as collateral for any monetary award given him by the
court.
In the hearing on Tuesday, Endin said he agreed to provide
information on alleged bribery in the Supreme Court only because
he was promised two things: legal protection and help in a case
he was involved in at the Bandung District Court in 2000.
He claimed the joint anticorruption team promised to grant
Endin immunity against lawsuits if he testified about bribes
allegedly received by three Supreme Court justices.
Endin testified that the justices received a total of Rp 96
million to change their decision in a land dispute case in
Bandung.
Two of the justices alleged to have received bribes, Marnis
Kahar and Suprapti Sutarto, filed a police complaint accusing
Endin of defamation as soon as the bribery case was taken to the
court.
Endin was sentenced to a three-month suspended jail term and
six months of probation.
Commenting on Adi Andojo's claim that the immunity offered to
Endin was simply part of a witness protection program, Endin's
lawyer Sitor Situmorang said the government regulation on the
protection of witnesses was only endorsed after Endin had
received his promised immunity.
Presiding judge Syamsul Ali adjourned the trial until Jan. 29,
at which time the court will hear more defense arguments.