Judges answer on Tommy release

Judges answer on Tommy release

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak and Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Chief Justice Bagir Manan said here on Wednesday that he will
ask the three members of the panel which exonerated Hutomo
"Tommy" Mandala Putra, the son of former president Soeharto,
from all corruption charges last week to clarify their decision.

Bagir said that if there were violations in the process, the
justices in charge of the case will be terminated and the
Attorney General's Office will take charge of the case.

"Amid public disappointment over the verdict, there are rumors
of bribery in its decision-making process. So it's better for the
justices to clarify themselves," he said, adding that a
clarification team of justices would be decided upon at an
executive meeting to be held on Thursday.

Commenting on criticism by the House of Representatives over
the verdict, Bagir said, "The House is responsible for carrying
out the will of the people. House members must understand that we
have different roles, the Supreme Court upholds the law, while
the House makes and modifies laws. I hope they will respect the
verdict by avoiding any interference."

When asked whether the Supreme Court was ready to face an
examination over its performance during the annual session of the
People's Consultative Assembly, Bagir reiterated that political
maneuvers in the legislative branch are not supposed to affect
the judiciary.

Meanwhile Justice Soeharto, one of the three members of the
panel overturning the verdict on fugitive Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala
Putra, claimed to be in disagreement with the panel's decision.

"I have a dissenting opinion on the decision. Even though the
case was discussed twice before making a decision, I did not
change my mind. It will be my pleasure should there be a team in
charge of examining the case so this matter can be transparent,"
Soeharto told reporters on Wednesday.

He refused to elaborate.

Soeharto (no relation to Tommy's father former president
Soeharto) made his statement after an impromptu visit from
members of the House of Representatives Commission II on legal
affairs who were seeking explanations regarding the formal
mechanisms of the judicial review in the Court and the
proceedings of Tommy's case.

Many people suspect irregularities in the handling of the
judicial review whose decision is believed to have destroyed
people's trust that justice can be done here. Deputy Chief
Justice M. Taufiq reportedly named himself to handle the case and
picked two other justices as his panel members.

The Court had earlier sentenced Tommy to 18 months in prison
for his role in the 1995 land swap scam involving his retailer PT
Goro Batara Sakti and the National Logistics Agency (Bulog).
Tommy fled after his appeal for a presidential pardon was
rejected.

Legislator J. Sahetapy told reporters after Wednesday's visit
that he would personally write to President Megawati
Soekarnoputri in addition to an official letter to be sent by the
Commission II, underscoring the urgency of an examination into
the court's decision.

"We found that Taufiq was defensive over the matter. His
answer on the process of judicial review on Tommy's case was not
satisfactory," he added.