Prosecutors back AG in legal battle

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Union of Indonesian Prosecutors (Persaja) has stated that it is fully behind Attorney General M.A. Rachman, who has come under the spotlight for allegedly concealing his wealth, and will not take any sanctions against the country's top prosecutor.

The Union's stance, however, has only strengthened public suspicions of impunity on the part of law enforcers.

Suspicions compounded by an investigation into a bribery case involving three judges that ended in uncertainty after a court dropped the case following complaints by the judges' association.

Rachman is alleged to have concealed assets, including a luxury home in Graha Cinere, Depok. The Public Servants' Wealth Audit Commission (KPKPN) is now inquiring into the ownership of the house, which is believed to be worth Rp 5 billion (US$555,555).

Head of the KPKPN inquiry Rudjuan Dartono said on Tuesday that the witnesses' statements were contradictory and the team needed more time to ascertain the facts before reaching any conclusions about corruption.

Rachman claimed the house belonged to his daughter, Chairunnisa, who later sold it in January for Rp 950 million to her father's old friend, businessman Husain Tanoto.

The KPKPN investigators have taken statements from the lawyers of Chairunnisa and Nadjib Salim Atamimi, a businessman who is said to have a close relationship with Rachman.

Chairunnisa pleaded ill health and failed to show up on Tuesday, but she was represented by a team of lawyers. The lawyers corrected her earlier statement claiming that the payment for the house had included equipment for her dentistry practice, rather than being only in cash as stated by Husain.

Nadjib said he was ordered to pay prosecutor Kito Irkhamni Rp 300 million in expenses for the house in Depok, which Kito built (Kito was previously a contractor). "But Kito never asked for the Rp 480 million (which he claimed Rachman still owed him) ... so Rachman's debt to Kito was settled," he said.

Nadjib is a businessman from Situbondo, East Java, and is said to have become acquainted with Rachman when the latter was fired as deputy attorney general for general crimes for a short time last year by then president Abdurrahman Wahid prior to being restored to office again by President Megawati.

"Nadjib said he helped Rachman a lot during that time," team member Winarno Zain told reporters, but failed to give details.