S. Korean defendant still in hospital

JAKARTA (JP): The South Korean defendant on trial for the collapse of the Grogol flyover bridge is still in hospital after a recent stroke, a judge said yesterday.

His lawyers from the Rusdi Nurima office and the Prastowo and Associates firm had asked for the trial to be postponed due to the defendant's medical condition.

The hearing was scheduled several times but the defendant failed to appear according to another court official.

The defendant, superintendent and deputy general manager of PT Hanbo Bumi Karsa, is charged with negligence leading to the death of three workers and the injury of 17 others on March 22 last year.

Prosecutors claim he violated the project's construction procedures. (13/anr)