Sri Bintang against Silangit's appointment
Sri Bintang against Silangit's appointment
JAKARTA (JP): The trial of former legislator Sri Bintang
Pamungkas continued at a snail's pace yesterday as the defendant
maintained his objection against S. T. Silangit's appointment as
the prosecuting attorney.
Judge Darlan Nasution granted Bintang's request for an
adjournment yesterday following his refusal to deliver a legal
exception.
"I rejected Silangit as prosecutor of the trial," Bintang told
the South Jakarta District Court.
Yesterday's impasse followed the trend of the two previous
proceedings which ended in adjournments.
During the Dec. 29 trial, Bintang and his lawyers walked out
of the courtroom in protest of the appointment of Silangit.
One of Bintang's lawyers, R.O. Tambunan, said last month that
Silangit had treated Bintang harshly while interrogating him last
year.
Bintang claimed Silangit bumped into him as if looking for a
fight, and also tried to hit him twice.
Bintang asked the court last month to replace Silangit on the
grounds that the latter had acted as the investigating officer
and the prosecutor.
He argued that Silangit's double role was a direct conflict of
interest which could obstruct justice.
But when asked what Bintang would do if the court still
refuses to replace Silangit, another of Bintang's lawyers Bambang
Widjojanto said they would first need to confer what the next
step would be.
"We will think about it in a weeks time ... We cannot answer
the question now," said Bambang, who is also chairman of the
Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation.
As reported, Judge Darlan and the South Jakarta Attorney
General's Office have repeatedly said Silangit's appointment was
in accordance with the rules.
Bintang, who was expelled from the House of Representatives in
1995, is currently serving a 34-month prison term for insulting
President Soeharto during a speech in Germany three years ago.
Bintang is also chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Union
Party (PUDI) which the government has refused to recognize. (10)