Prosecutor fails to indict

JAKARTA (JP): A bank forgery trial at the South Jakarta District Court was postponed yesterday after the prosecutor was unable to concentrate enough to read the indictment.

Prosecutor Y.W. Mere asked for the postponement because he was concerned about his colleagues being detained at the National Police Headquarters.

Mere was referring to the Jakarta Provincial Prosecutor office's senior prosecutor, Jurnalis Kamaru, and the office's administrative employee, Afrizal, who were recently arrested for falsifying statements on the April 1994 killing of entertainment businessman Nyo Beng Seng.

Mere was apparently so upset that he was unable to concentrate enough to read a 34-page indictment of Made Oka Masagung, the former owner of Bank Arta Prima.

Masagung was scheduled to be indicted yesterday at the court for his role in forging promissory notes worth Rp 150 billion (US$33.3 million) which were endorsed by the bank.

The defendant's lawyer Gani Djemat regretted Mere's request for adjournment saying that the prosecutor's reason was irrelevant.

"But we could understand the situation," Gani said.

Presiding Judge Sudadi later postponed the trial until next week to hear the indictment. (jun)