South Jakarta District Court considers reopening Soeharto case
South Jakarta District Court considers reopening Soeharto case
A'an Suryana and Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post,
Jakarta
The South Jakarta District Court is now studying the
possibility of reopening a corruption case against former
president Soeharto, and is expected to announce its decision next
week, South Jakarta District Court Head Lalu Mariyun said.
"We are examining the request, and hope that we will be able
to come to a decision next week," Mariyun told journalists in his
office on Friday.
Soeharto, who was forced to resign in May 1998 following
massive riots that left Jakarta and other big Indonesian cities
in chaos, has been charged with illegally amassing US$571 million
for personal gain while he was president for more than three
decades.
Judges temporarily stopped the trial in September 2000 on the
advice of doctors who said that Soeharto was too ill to stand
trial, having suffered a brain hemorrhage due to stroke.
In a non-binding legal opinion, the Supreme Court said that
Soeharto was too ill to stand trial, but added that it was up to
prosecutors to decide whether or not to attempt to bring him to
court again.
Purwanto, the head of the Jakarta prosecutors' office, said on
Thursday that his office has submitted a letter to the South
Jakarta District Court requesting that the court reopen
Soeharto's corruption case quickly to avoid delay.
Mariyun confirmed on Friday that his office had received a
letter from local prosecutors, but refused to comment as to
whether his office would grant the request.
In its one-page letter, dated Feb. 26, the prosecutors' office
said Soeharto's "trial has not been completed yet."
The prosecutors' office argued that it was necessary to
expedite the case in a timely manner, since Soeharto's health
"cannot be hoped to improve," according to the doctors' report.
"Based on these considerations, we ask that the court quickly
reopen the case," Purwanto said in his letter.
Asked if the former president's health condition had improved
enough for him to stand trial, Purwanto refused to comment.
"Just wait until the trial is reopens, and we will then know"
his condition, he told reporters.
"The trial dossier of the Soeharto case remains in the
district court, and the controversy remains outside the court,"
he said. "The reopening of the case is needed to see whether
Soeharto must face a trial again."
President Megawati Soekarnoputri has sought the approval of
the House of Representatives to drop the charge against Soeharto
altogether, based on humanitarian grounds.
By contrast, the majority of the public has demanded that the
corruption trial be re-continued against the 80-year-old.
Separately, legal expert Adnan Buyung Nasution said on Friday
that a resolution of the Soeharto case was a must.
"The district court should not repeat its past experience in
which the case was left in limbo," he said.
"It should immediately check the health condition of the
former president, and then decide whether or not he can stand
trial," he told the Post.
Soeharto's legal journey
- May 21, 1998: Soeharto steps down
- Dec. 2, 1998: President B.J. Habibie issues an instruction to
probe Soeharto's wealth
- Jan. 12, 1999: Prosecutors reveal indications that Soeharto
violated the law in amassing wealth
- Dec. 7, 1999: Soeharto is named as a suspect in corruption
cases
- April 13, 2000: Soeharto is placed under city arrest
- Sept. 21, 2000: South Jakarta District Court decides to stop
the hearing of Soeharto's case due to his poor health
- Dec. 11, 2001: The Supreme Court states in its non-binding
opinion that a trial can't be held due to Soeharto's worsening
health condition
- Feb. 26, 2002: South Jakarta Prosecutors Office seeks
reopening of Soeharto case.