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.