Sutiyoso to help pro-bono lawyers

JAKARTA: Governor Sutiyoso pledged funds from the city budget on Saturday to help renovate the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute's (YLBHI) building on Jl. Dponegoro, Central Jakarta.

"I hope the fund needed (for the renovation) is less than Rp 10 billion ... Indeed, YLBHI has to have a proper office," he said after attending the foundation's 35th anniversary.

Sutiyoso expressed hope the institute would remain independent despite the financial support from the city administration.

YLBHI co-founder Adnan Buyung Nasution said that the estimated total costs for the building renovation was at around Rp 11 billion.

"We're now working on the design ... Hopefully the renovations can start early next year," he said. -- JP