Prosecutors condemn high court

Prosecutors condemn high court

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

The release of former Banten provincial council speaker Dharmono
K. Lawi and two deputy speakers, Mufrodi Muchsin and Muslim
Djamaluddin, from prison by the Banten High Court has irked
prosecutors, who are now considering an appeal.

The three were found guilty of having misused Rp 10.5 billion
(US$1.1 million) earmarked to build a housing complex for
provincial council members and another Rp 3.5 billion allotted
for the welfare of Banten provincial councillors in 2004.

The Serang District Court had sentenced them on June 14 to
four-and-a-half year's imprisonment and fined them Rp 200 million
each.

On Thursday, the high court ordered their status changed of
that of "city arrest" pending verdict its ruling in the case.

"The court's decision has really discouraged prosecutors in
their efforts to win the fight against corruption," Banten chief
prosecutor Kemas Yahya Rahman said on Saturday.

Local high court president Sudarman said that the court
allowed the three defendants' petition to have their detention
status changed to that of city arrest as they had already spent a
long time in jail and had promised to abide by all the conditions
imposed.

The three are required to report to the court every Monday and
must be ready at any time to comply with a court summons for them
to go on trial.

"The defendants have also returned some of the state funds
that they misappropriated to the provincial administration,"
Sudarman said.

When council members for the 2004-2009 period were sworn in
last October, it was discovered that the housing complex had not
been built, and that the Rp 3.5 billion could not be accounted
for.

Banten Governor Djoko Munandar, who disbursed Rp 14 billion
from the administration budget to the council, is another suspect
in the same case and is also facing trial in the district court.

Kemas said that prosecutors had received many letters from the
public since Friday protesting against the release of the three
defendants from detention.

"The senders also sent copies of their letters to National
Police Headquarters and the Corruption Eradication Commission
(KPK)," he said, adding that the prosecutors had asked the police
and KPK to investigate the high court judges who issued the
ruling.

Kemas said the prosecutor's office was currently handling 18
corruption cases, with nine cases still under investigation and
four cases currently being heard by the courts.