Hendra picks Indonesian lawyer to defend him
Hendra picks Indonesian lawyer to defend him
JAKARTA (JP): Hendra Rahardja, who is in a Sydney jail
awaiting a procedural hearing on extradition, has named
Indonesian lawyer Alamsyah Hanafiah to defend him in the
Australian courts and in his trial here.
"He signed the documents to appoint me as his lawyer from the
jail in Sydney on Sunday," Alamsyah told The Jakarta Post on
Tuesday.
Based on the documents, Alamsyah said he was to set up a team
of lawyers for the preparation to defend Hendra, whose case is to
be heard by a Sydney court on July 16.
By law, only someone who has passed the Australian bar can
defend someone in an Australian court.
"My team and I will leave for Sydney in about two weeks from
now to back up Hendra's local lawyers there," he said, referring
to Australian lawyers provided by the local authorities.
Alamsyah, however, refused to elaborate on matters, such as
the identities of Hendra's relatives who took the documents to be
signed by Hendra to the jail, details of his team members and the
amount of money he would received from Hendra, one of the most
wanted Indonesian bankers.
Last Thursday, he told the Post that Hendra's relatives in
Hong Kong planned to visit Hendra in Sydney on the weekend to
verify whether the man was the real Hendra Rahardja.
The businessman's relatives, such as his wife and children,
also wanted by the Indonesian police to help with information on
the fugitive's whereabouts and that of his younger brother, Eddy
Tansil, a criminal who escaped from Cipinang Penitentiary here in
1996.
Hendra, who fled the country allegedly to avoid responsibility
following the liquidation of his two banks -- Bank Harapan
Sentosa (BHS) and Bank Guna International -- in November 1997,
was arrested on June 1 by immigration officers at Kingsford-Smith
International Airport in Sydney.
This will not be the first time that Alamsyah has acted as
Hendra's lawyer. Hendra used the lawyer's services in 1997n to
explain his flight from the country.
Alamsyah at that time assured the press, the government as
well as the banks' customers that Hendra was not permanently
leaving the country and would be back to take responsibility for
the two banks' problems.
The assurances, however, have not proved to be of much value.
On Tuesday, he also refused to comment on whether his client
would be able to stick to his words that he would not allow
himself to be extradited to Jakarta for his alleged massive bank
fraud.
At the moment, the Australian authorities are waiting for an
official request from the Indonesian government for the
extradition of Hendra.
The formal request is required by Sydney for the procedural
hearing of the case.
Should Indonesian authorities fail to meet the July 15
deadline, or 45 days after Hendra's arrest which is the maximum
period allowed for Australian authorities to detain a foreigner
wanted by his or her country, Australia might deport Hendra to
Hong Kong.
A procedural hearing at a Sydney court last Wednesday failed
to decide whether Hendra would be extradited due to the absence
of the written request from Indonesian authorities.
Judge Allan Moore adjourned the hearing to July 16, in the
expectation that Jakarta would soon submit an appeal.(bsr)