Probosutedjo admits to bribing judges

Probosutedjo admits to bribing judges

Eva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Former president Soeharto's half-brother Probosutedjo admitted on
Tuesday to giving his lawyer Rp 6 billion (US$600,000) to bribe
the Supreme Court chief and other court officials dealing with
his appeal against his graft conviction.

Speaking after being questioned for four hours at the
Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), Probosutedjo said he
intended to pay the bribe in order to win the appeal case as
urged by his lawyer Harini Wiyoso.

"I told Ibu Harini that I had no more money but what would I
do if the verdict stipulated that I had to go to jail. Therefore,
I tried hard to borrow the money," he said.

Probosutedjo insisted that it was Harini who suggested he
bribe Supreme Court officials to overturn his jail sentence
handed down by the lower courts.

"She told me that Rp 1 billion would be paid to the court
employees, and the remaining Rp 5 billion to Supreme Court chief
Bagir Manan," he said.

Bagir chairs the panel of judges handling the appeal case.

Probosutedjo was convicted of abusing reforestation funds that
cost the state over Rp 100 billion in losses. He was sentenced to
four years in jail by the Central Jakarta District Court in 2003,
but the Jakarta High Court later reduced the term to two years.

He was implicated in the bribery case following the recent
arrest by the KPK of Harini and five officials of the Supreme
Court for their alleged involvement in the scam.

The KPK also confiscated some US$400,000 and Rp 800 million,
which it believed were to be used as bribes to win Probosutedjo's
appeal case.

Pleading innocence, Probosutedjo claimed that it was he who
first reported the bribery attempt to the KPK last July after
Harini offered to buy the Supreme Court verdict.

"My friend Pak Sri Edi Swasono and I went to the KPK to report
this matter since there were so many people in the Supreme Court
who also offered to facilitate an acquittal in the appeal case,"
he said.

Sri Edi, the husband of the current state minister for women's
empowerment Meutia Hatta, accompanied Probosutedjo to the KPK
office for Tuesday's questioning.

Despite his bold confession, the KPK had not named
Probosutedjo as a suspect in the bribery scam.

Probosutedjo even failed to answer when asked why he paid the
bribe, while on the other hand he reported the bribery case to
the KPK in July.

He said he never confirmed with Bagir whether the latter asked
him for money in exchange for the verdict, arguing that it was
impossible for him to meet the chief justice.

Previously, Bagir denied allegations that he accepted a bribe
from Probosutedjo through his court officials, but admitted he
once met Harini and that when she started talking about the
appeal case, he refused to respond.

Senior lawyer and cofounder of the Indonesian Legal Aid
Foundation (LBHI) Adnan Buyung Nasution urged Bagir on Tuesday to
step down while the bribery case was being investigated.

He said Bagir should show his responsibility as the Supreme
Court chief by temporarily resigning from his position.

"Putting aside the issue of whether he is guilty or not, it
would be a more honorable move if Bagir stepped down temporarily
because that would have a positive effect on the legal system in
the country," Buyung said as quoted by Antara.

The bribery case has tarnished the credibility of the
country's highest legal institution.

YLBHI director Munarman said that corruption in the country's
judiciary system was rampant, affecting around 60 percent to 70
percent of court officials.

"The corrupt system starts when someone reports a case to the
police which then submit it to the prosecutors until the case
reaches the court and there is the wait for a verdict," he added.

He called on independent bodies such as the KPK and the
Judicial Commission to take a more active role to eradicate such
practices.