Probosutedjo seeks graft case review

Probosutedjo seeks graft case review

Eva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Convicted embezzler Probosutedjo has confirmed his intention to
ask the Supreme Court for a review of his graft conviction in a
last ditch effort to get himself out of jail.

Probosutedjo's lawyer Arizal Boer said on Saturday he would
collect more evidence before submitting the request in order to
avoid rejection of the review.

A person who has already been convicted by the Supreme Court
may ask for a case review or presidential clemency.

"God willing, we can submit it next week. We have to prepare
it the best we can, because if the request is denied, we have no
other avenue to seek justice," Arizal said.

Probosutedjo, who is the half-brother of the country's former
president Soeharto, is serving a four-year term at the Cipinang
Penitentiary.

The Supreme Court upheld the lower courts' ruling that found
Probosutedjo guilty of misusing reforestation funds amounting to
Rp 100.9 billion (US$10 million). The Court also ordered him to
pay a Rp 30 million fine and return the money he had stolen by
the end of December.

Arizal claimed that his client's conviction was an act of
revenge for his revelations of verdict buying practices in the
Supreme Court, which have also implicated Chief Justice Bagir
Manan.

Probosutedjo had confessed to the Corruption Eradication
Commission that he had given out a total of Rp 16 billion to his
previous lawyers for the purpose of bribing prosecutors and
judges. Of this amount, Rp 5 billion was supposed to be paid to
Bagir, who presided over the panel of justices hearing
Probosutedjo's appeal.

Bagir replaced the justices following Probosutedjo's
confession. Sources close to the Supreme Court said the old panel
of justices would have acquitted the businessman through a split
decision.

Arizal said he was waiting for a copy of the verdict from the
Supreme Court before seeking the case review.

"The copy is one of the requirements when asking for a case
review. Hopefully we will receive it soon since it will
facilitate the processing of our request," Arizal said.

He said he would also submit several documents that showed how
the reforestation fund was managed.

Despite Probosutedjo's conviction, the investigation into
alleged verdict buying continues.

The Judicial Commission expects to question Bagir in the near
future, after examining Probosutedjo and his lawyers.

"We hope to question him before the end of the year. We're
preparing materials now," commission member Soekotjo Soeparto
said.

The commission found irregularities in the meeting between
Probosutedjo's lawyer Harini Wijoso and Bagir on Sept. 10, when
she informed him about her retirement as a high court judge.

The bribery case surfaced after Corruption Eradication
Commission (KPK) investigators arrested Harini and five Supreme
Court officials on Oct. 1, and seized Rp 800 million and $400,000
in cash as evidence from her house.

KPK investigators questioned Bagir on Nov. 18, a few weeks
after they searched his room at the Supreme Court.