Slander defendant stands by story

JAKARTA (JP): Endin Wahyudin, the defendant in a defamation suit filed by two sitting Supreme Court justices, refuted on Tuesday the testimony of the two, maintaining that the justices had received bribes when hearing a past case.

Endin, a resident of Bandung, West Java, told the Central Jakarta District Court that he, acting as a "middleman", had separately met with the two in their offices twice in September 1998.

"I handed the money to them on the second visit," he told the court, which was presided over by judge Amiruddin. He claimed that the two juctices accepted Rp 50 million each.

Justices Supraptini Sutarto and Marnis Kahar told the court that they had never met with Endin.

The two justices, along with retired justice M. Yahya Harahap, ruled on a land dispute in late 1998 for which Endin claimed the bribes were given.

"Which one in this courtroom is Endin? I've never met him," justice Marnis said during her testimony on Tuesday.

Supraptini said it was impossible for Endin to have given them bribes for that case during the stated time period, since the panel of justices was only appointed in December 1998.

The trial was adjourned until June 12. (bby)