Samadikun expected to attend court hearing

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Former owner of the now-defunct Bank Modern, Samadikun Hartono, who was earlier sentenced by the Supreme Court to four years in jails for corruption of Rp 1.7 trillion (US$200 million), is expected to attend a hearing at the Central Jakarta District Court on Monday.

The hearing will be held due to a judicial review filed by Samadikun, who had earlier escaped when prosecutors tried to prosecute the verdict, from a certain unknown place, Antara state news agency reported on Friday.

"I don't know whether he will show up or not, but we will wait for until Monday," Central Jakarta Prosecutors Office head Salman Mariyadi said.

Salman said if Samadikun failed to show up, the prosecutors would ask the court that Samadikun should be attended in the hearing of his judicial review.

However, according to the Supreme Court decree No. 1/1980, a defendant may attend or skip the hearing of a judicial review.

It is unclear how and when Samadikun submitted his judicial review.

He reportedly attached a new evidence (novum) of the Master of Refinancing and Note Issuance (MRNIA) between him and the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA) in his judicial review. The agreement was signed in December last year.

Samadikun was convicted for four years in jail for guilty corrupting Rp 1.7 trillion of the Central Bank Liquidation Loan to his bank.

Using a permit from the Attorney General Office, he reportedly fled to Japan for medical service at Kokuro Memorial Hospital before the Supreme Court sentenced him.

Prosecutors and Immigration Directorate of the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights earlier blamed each other for the escape of Samadikun.

Separately, Central Jakarta District Court, which had established a panel of judges for the judicial review, reportedly adjourned the hearing from July 28 to Aug. 8.