RI to get constitutional court

PADANG, West Sumatra: A Constitutional Court will be in place by March 2003 at the latest to try the president and the vice president should they be charged with constitutional abuses, lawmakers said here on Friday.

"We will have an institution called the Constitutional Court. God willing, it will be set up in March 2003," said Amidhan, a member of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR)'s Ad Hoc I Committee on constitutional amendments.

He said the new court would be made up of nine members: three members each from the presidential palace, the Supreme Court and the House of Representatives.

Asked if the Constitutional Court would be credible and independent, Amidhan, who also chairs the Indonesian Council of Ulemas, said he believed it would be.

"There is no doubt we hope the Constitutional Court will be really reliable," he said during a function to discuss the outcome of last August's Annual Session of the MPR, during which the latest constitutional amendments were completed.

At the event held in the West Sumatra capital of Padang, Amidhan was accompanied by lawmakers Aisyah Aminy, Ronggo Soenarso, Januar Muin, Irman Gusman and Mochtar Nain.

Under the amended 1945 Constitution, if the court finds the president guilty of constitutional violations the verdict will be taken to a plenary session of the MPR for a final decision as to whether he or she can be impeached. --Antara