Students protest at Marzuki's office

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)