Ginandjar sues Attorney General

JAKARTA (JP): Lawyers representing former minister of mines and energy Ginandjar Kartasasmita questioned on Wednesday the legal basis for the issuance of a second arrest warrant by state prosecutors for their client.

Lawyer O.C. Kaligis told the South Jakarta District Court that state prosecutors had misinterpreted the court's ruling that the investigation and detention of Ginandjar before April 9 were unlawful.

The court had ruled that the arrest of Ginandjar should have been jointly conducted by a team comprising state prosecutors, military prosecutors and the military police. The team was only formed on April 9.

A second arrest warrant was issued on April 18 by the Attorney General's Office without approval from the military prosecutors and military police. The arrest warrant, however, was effective from April 9 and will expire on April 28.

Ginandjar, the suspect in a corruption case which allegedly caused US$24.8 million in losses to the state, was an air force vice marshall in the early 1990s when the alleged scandal took place. He retired in 1996. (bby)