Students protest at Marzuki's office

JAKARTA (JP): Dozens of students staged a protest at the Attorney General's Office on Wednesday condemning a court decision last month that dismissed the US$590 graft charges against former president Soeharto.

The student protesters from the Islamic State University (IAIN) Syarif Hidayatullah and the School of Informatics and Computer Management (STMIK) alleged that the Attorney General's Office and all related parties involved in the trial had prepared a well-designed scenario favoring the former president.

The three hearings of the case, which the defendant failed to attend, was staged only for the purpose of satisfying the public. It already had been plotted that the charges would be dropped due to Soeharto's poor health, the protesters said.

"The Attorney General's Office and other judicial bodies have lied to the people," the students said in their statement.

"Now the people have been convinced that the existing (judicial system) won't be able to put Soeharto on trial," the statement said.

"The only thing that can bring Soeharto to justice is a people's trial."

At the third hearing on Sept. 28, the South Jakarta District Court dropped the corruption charges against the former president after hearing medical arguments from an independent team of doctors who testified that the former president was physically and mentally unfit to stand trial.

Based on the doctors' testimony, the court also released the defendant from city arrest status.

Soeharto had been accused of stealing from the state by funneling money from seven charity foundations he chaired into various businesses belonging to his family, close relatives, and cronies.

During the rally on Wednesday, the students managed to climb over the gate of the Attorney General's Office, located in the busy Blok M shopping area.

Dozens of police personnel standing guard at the complex took no action to stop the students.

The students threw raw eggs against the wall of the office of Attorney General Marzuki Darusman.

Inside the gate, the students continued to read their statement.

"Put Soeharto on people's trial!" one of the orators at the rally said.

"Seize Soeharto's assets to pay the fuel subsidy!" the orator added.

The students dispersed peacefully after reading their statement.

On June 6, the Central Jakarta District Court threw out a defamation libel suit filed by the Soeharto against Time over an article published last year that alleged the long-time president possessed a very large sum of money.

In the lawsuit, Soeharto demanded Rp 189 trillion in damages from the cover story article saying he did not have a "single cent" allegedly squirreled away abroad. (jaw)