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)