Foul play apparent in Akbar's case
Foul play apparent in Akbar's case
Muninggar Sri Saraswati and Yogita Tahilramani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Efforts to salvage corruption suspect Akbar Tandjung became increasingly transparent when Attorney General's Office investigators suddenly declared the Golkar chairman's dossier complete, and handed it over to the Jakarta's Prosecution Office at 12:30pm on Thursday.
The same dossier was submitted to the Central Jakarta District Court at 2:45 p.m. on Thursday, or just two hour fifteen minutes after the Prosecution Office received it from the Attorney General's Office.
Normally, it takes at least two weeks for a state prosecution office to study a dossier before it could submit it to the court.
Central Jakarta District Court spokesman Judge Andi Samsan Nganro said on Thursday that his office had received Akbar's dossier, along with those of Raudatul Jannah Foundation chairman Dadang Iskandar and contractor Winfried Simatupang, and that the court would set up a panel of judges for the case in a few days. Usually a panel of judges is set up within two weeks after a dossier registration.
The judges appointed for Akbar's case were the same as those appointed for the murder case allegedly involving Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, said court clerk Heri T.
"While the trial date for Akbar's case has yet to be set, Tommy's case is scheduled to be tried at the Central Jakarta District Court on Mar. 20," Heri told The Jakarta Post on Friday. Heri said the presiding judge for Akbar's case was Amiruddin Zakaria. Amiruddin will be accompanied by panel members Andi Samson Nganro and I Ketut Gede.
Earlier, Judge Andi, prosecutors Fachmi, Septinus Simatang and Ali Mukartono of the Jakarta High Prosecution Office registered the dossiers at 14:45.
Earlier, the Attorney General's Office spokesman Barman Zahir said that the dossiers and suspects of what has been dubbed as Buloggate II had been handed over by examining prosecutors chief Manap Djubaedi to assistant for special criminal offenses at Jakarta's high prosecution office Tarwo Hadi Sajuri, who subsequently formed a team of public prosecutors consisting of Fachmi, Septinus and Ali Mukartono.
The handing-over ceremony itself was conducted at the Attorney General's Office in Blok M, South Jakarta, not at the Jakarta High Prosecution Office on Jl. Rasuna Said, Kuningan, South Jakarta.
The sudden and exceptionally fast process raised suspicions that the prosecutors were trying to beat the March 18 deadline when legislators in the House of Representatives (DPR) convene to determine whether or not it would establish an investigation team to probe House Speaker Akbar, a suspect in a Rp 54.6 billion financial scandal involving the State Logistics Agency (Bulog).
President Megawati Soekarnoputri's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), the biggest faction in the House with 153 members, and Vice President Hamzah Haz's Muslim-based United Development Party (PPP) have maintained that they would support the establishment of a House inquiry team to probe Akbar if the legal process did not proceed as desired.
Last March 7, lawmakers were close to setting up an investigation team after the Attorney General's Office showed little progress in investigating Akbar. The legislators, however, agreed to defer the decision until March 18 after the Attorney General's Office decided to detain Akbar.
With Akbar's dossier is now registered with the Central Jakarta District Court, PDI Perjuangan and PPP are likely to oppose moves to form a House inquiry team to investigate Akbar.
Golkar, a political bandwagon of former dictator Soeharto, is trying to avoid a House inquiry team because of its possible damaging and humiliating ramifications to Akbar's political future and the very existence of the party itself.
The last time the House set up an inquiry team was in 2000 when it investigated former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid's corruption allegation which led to his impeachment in July 2001.
The ruling PDI Perjuangan, however, has always appeared reluctant in dealing with Akbar's corruption allegation for fear that Golkar would withdraw its support to Megawati's administration, a move that could lead to the end of her young administration.
Meanwhile, President Megawati, National Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief A.M. Hendropiryono and Attorney General A. Rachman held a separate meeting after the weekly cabinet meeting on Thursday.
A source close to the Palace said the three discussed about the latest development of Akbar's corruption case and current political constellation.