Tansil to mark Waisak Day behind prison bars
Tansil to mark Waisak Day behind prison bars
JAKARTA (JP): Eddy Tansil, the main suspect in Rp 1.3 trillion
(US$620 million) Bapindo scandal, will celebrate Waisak, Buddha's
day of enlightenment which falls tomorrow, in prison.
"Tansil has not requested for a leave of absence to celebrate
the Buddhist holiday with his family," his lawyer Gani Djemat
said yesterday.
Tansil is the only Buddhist among the six suspects in the
Bapindo case.
There was no special treatments either for the other five, all
Moslems, during Idul Adha on Saturday as they all celebrated the
Islamic Day of Sacrifice in detention at the Attorney General's
Round building in Jakarta.
Sources at the Attorney General's office said the decision not
to grant them leave for Idul Adha was made to protect their
safety given the increasing public hostility shown towards Tansil
and the other five suspects.
Meanwhile, the South Jakarta District Court yesterday held its
third hearing in the trial of Maman Suparman, former deputy
manager of Bapindo's Jakarta branch, to hear the response of the
prosecution to the defense statement.
The prosecutors urged the court to proceed with the trial and
ignore the arguments put forward by Maman's lawyers that are
insufficient grounds for a trial.
The government charges that Maman was directly involved in the
disbursement of some Rp 348 billion ($174 million) worth of loans
to Tansil between December 1989 and May 1992.
The prosecution has accused Maman of taking bribes from Tansil
in return for approving the large loans and helping Tansil cash
in on them, although he had no the authority to do so.
Maman has been charged under the 1971 anti-corruption law,
which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Prosecutor Mohamad Yamin said that South Jakarta has the
authority to try the case since it involves the Bapindo Jakarta
branch on JL. Rasuna Said, South Jakarta. He also pointed out
that 17 of the 26 witnesses lined up for the trial are residents
of South Jakarta.
Denny Kailimang, who is heading Maman's defense team, had
argued that the government had picked the wrong court given that
Maman was arrested under a warrant issued by the West Jakarta
district court. Denny also argued that the prosecution's charges
are too vague to warrant further consideration.
Irrelevant
The prosecutors said yesterday that the details demanded by
Denny are not relevant to the prosecution of Maman.
The trial was adjourned until Thursday when the judge will
decide whether or not to proceed with the trial.
In related news, the Attorney General's Office has quietly
removed its chief spokesman Soeparman, to the astonishment of
media observers.
Soeparman, who has become close to reporters and been the main
official source of information on the progress of the Bapindo
investigation, has been reassigned to the Public Prosecutors'
Office in Palembang, South Sumatra.
His post has been taken by Basrief Arief, formerly chief of
the Public Prosecutors Office in the Belawan port city in North
Sumatra.
There was no official explanation on the change although some
insiders said that it was a routine tour of duty.
The Attorney General's office has been conducting an
investigation over how much classified material connected with
its investigation into the Bapindo case has been leaked to the
press. (05)