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.