Request made without consent: Suwandha
Request made without consent: Suwandha
JAKARTA (JP): The Attorney General's Office was not aware that
the Central Jakarta District Prosecutor's Office filed a request
to have a recent Supreme Court decision reviewed, an official
says.
Vice Attorney General I Nyoman Suwandha said yesterday that
the prosecutor's office, which is under his supervision, failed
to inform his office that it was following up on Justice Adi
Andojo Soetjipto's letter asking for a review of the Gandhi
Memorial School case.
"It should have first informed the Attorney General's Office
about its plan to take legal action, especially in such an
important case," Suwandha said.
Suwandha said that the attorney general also was not informed
when the prosecutor's office withdrew its request.
The request for a review of the Supreme Court's verdict was
prompted in December by Deputy Chief Justice for General Crimes
Adi Andojo's request that the prosecutor's office file for a
review of the case involving Ram Gulumal, who was acquitted of
document fraud charges in July 1995.
Chief of the Central Jakarta District Court, I Gde Ketut
Sukarata, said on Tuesday that the Central Jakarta Prosecutor's
Office asked the district court two weeks later to review the
Supreme Court's verdict in the Gandhi Memorial School case.
According to judicial procedure in Indonesia, a lower court
has the authority to review the decision of a higher court if new
evidence is found by either the defendant or the prosecution.
The team of judges presiding over the case is believed to have
accepted up to Rp 1.4 billion (US$600,000) to dismiss the
charges.
Suwandha yesterday promised he would question Masduki, chief
of the Central Jakarta Prosecutor's Office, about the breach of
procedure.
Meanwhile, Ram Gulumal said yesterday that the Supreme Court's
internal investigation team has not questioned him about the
bribery charges that Adi leveled against him and the judges.
"I'm ready and willing to be questioned," he told reporters in
his office. (imn)