The leading figures in Soeharto's trial
By Tertiani Simanjuntak
JAKARTA (JP): Dubbed by many as a milestone in the country's law enforcement history, the hearing of former president Soeharto's alleged corruption case to begin today involves a panel of five judges and eight prosecutors.
From the defendant's side, a team of eight, mostly senior lawyers, are ready to argue to protect their client from all charges.
Outside the courtroom, a specially-converted hall of the Ministry of Agriculture in South Jakarta, Indonesians and many others around the world are watching expectantly to see if justice will be served.
The following is a brief profile of the major players taking part in Soeharto's trial.
Panel of Judges
Chairman: Lalu Mariyun. Members: Soemarno, I Dewa Gede Putra Jadnya, Muhammad Munawir, and Sultan Mangun.
Presiding judge Lalu Mariyun, 55, has been head of the South Jakarta District Court barely two months.
Born in Kopang village of Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara, Mariyun, already 21 years as a sitting judge, entered the College for Judge and Prosecutor in Malang, East Java, in 1966 and graduated in 1974 from the Law Faculty of Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in Yogyakarta.
He started his career as a judge at the Selong District Court in Lombok in 1979.
In 1997, he was appointed head of the Mataram District Court.
Mariyun once issued an uncommon verdict while handling a civil case. He endowed a Sasak woman with the right to become heir, a status not acknowledged for females by the local culture.
"The verdict is controversial, but I intend to uphold justice within the society," Mariyun said, adding that he had handled many corruption and criminal cases during his career.
Married to Ratna Rumingsih, a lecturer at the Law Faculty in Mataram University, Mariyun is a father of three daughters.
Judge Soemarno, 52, born in Blora, Central Java, is deputy head of the court. He has spent some 22 years of his life as a judge.
He graduated from the same university and in the same year as Mariyun. But Soemarno started his service in 1978 far away from Java at Sanggau District Court in West Kalimantan.
He then posted in Bangka (Riau), Probolinggo (East Java) and led district courts in Aceh, Sleman (Yogyakarta), and Manado (North Sulawesi).
Soemarno is married to Kiswati. They are now parents to six children.
He said he has no apprehension about making a verdict.
"It's routine."
Judge I Dewa Gede Putra Jadnya, 56, was born in Bangli regency of Bali. He started his career as a clerk at Malang District Court in East Java while studying at the Law Faculty of the Brawijaya University.
Graduated, he was sworn as a judge at Klungkung District Court in Bali.
Jadnya has been assigned to several district courts across the country, including former East Timor capital of Dili. He was posted at the South Jakarta District Court in December last year.
Currently, he is still handling the high-profile Bank Bali case.
Jadnya is married to Tumiyati and the couple have three children and three grandchildren.
Judge Muhammad Munawir, 56,born in Pamekasan, Madura, entered the same college in Malang with Mariyun.
Three years after he got his law degree from Jember University in East Java in 1971, Munawir served as judge at Ponorogo District Court in East Java.
For six years beginning in 1982, Munawir was assistant to justices at the Supreme Court in Jakarta.
Then, he was assigned as district court chief in East and South Kalimantan.
When he chaired Cilacap regency's district court in Central Java, he handled a graft case in the construction of the local airport.
In August last year, Munawir moved to the South Jakarta District Court.
He is married to Ning Sudiartini and they have three children.
Judge Sultan Mangun, 55, was born in Takalar regency in South Sulawesi. He has been serving in the South Jakarta District Court for about two years.
He worked as a clerk at Pontianak District Court in West Kalimantan before graduating law school.
He graduated from the Law Faculty of the Hasanuddin University in South Sulawesi in 1977, specializing in trade law.
Serving as judge since 1980, Mangun mostly handled civil cases. He said he has heard only one corruption case and the defendant was released due to lack of evidence.
He lives in Jakarta with his wife Kurniati, while their two children and three grandchildren are all live in their hometown of Makassar.
Panel of Prosecutors
Chairman: Muchtar Arifin. Members: Umbu Lage Lozara, Mia Amiati, Yan W. Mere, Febri Priyanto, Agus Sutoto, Heri Wahyudi and Hermid Achmadi.
Muchtar Arifin, 51, was born in Pidie regency in Aceh and raised within an ulema family.
The call to be a justice fighter brought him to take a law degree at the University of Indonesia in Jakarta.
Graduated in 1975, Muchtar started his career as a prosecutor in 1976 at Riau Prosecutor's Office in Pekanbaru, Sumatra.
Three years later, he moved to Tembilahan District Prosecutor's Office in Riau.
Since then he has served tours of duty at various prosecutor's offices in Sumatra, West Java, East Java and East Kalimantan.
Muchtar has been appointed as chief of several district prosecutor's offices, including in Tarakan, East Kalimantan and in Madiun, East Java.
Married to Non, the couple have three sons and two daughters, who all are still in school. He kept the residence of his children a secret.
Muchtar has led the prosecution directorate at the Attorney General's Office since April this year after six months as an analyst for the office of the deputy attorney general for special crimes.
For Soeharto's trial, he commented: "I realize that the case could raise anxiety among the people. Yes, it's risky, but the matter is not why I dare to take this task or not ... I'm just doing my job. Moreover, I never reject any assignments given to me."
Lawyers
Leader: Juan Felix Tampubolon. Members: Mohamad Assegaf, O.C. Kaligis, Denny Kailimang, Indriyanto Seno Adji, Syamsulhadi, Victor Siregar and Abrah Said. (The team will be aided by several assistants)
Juan Felix Tampubolon, 44, was born in Pangkalpinang, Bangka islands. Young Juan initially wanted to be a Catholic priest. Later, changing his mind and becoming an athlete, Juan took architecture as his major.
"After I helped handle a civil case involving my parents which had been pending for 16 years, I decided to enter the Law Faculty of Jayabaya University in Jakarta," he said.
While studying, he supported himself by working at a foreign oil and gas company and later was an apprentice to several noted law firms.
Establishing his own law firm in the mid 1980's, Juan has mostly handled litigation cases, including insurance fraud, banking crimes, corruption cases and land disputes between his clients and the government.
He has been on Soeharto's team since 1998, Juan has received many anonymous threats.
"But I'm not stepping back because I'm doing the right thing."
"I'm proud to be on the team because I can be a part of this nation's history. No other cases is more interesting than handling the case involving a former president," he said.
Married to Tri Lusiawati Darmakusumah, the couple have two sons.
Mohamad Assegaf, 60, is perhaps the most senior lawyer on Soeharto's defense team.
Assegaf began his career 29 years ago as one of the group of lawyers forming the Legal Aid Institute (LBH) in Jakarta.
Born in Surakarta, Central Java, Assegaf was active in the Muslim University Students Association while studying at Gadjah Mada University Law School in Yogyakarta.
During Soeharto's presidency, he was among the few lawyers in the country defending student activists accused by the government of causing political instability.
Among the student activists he defended were Alhilal Hamdi (current Minister of Manpower and Transmigration), Rizal Ramli (Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Finance and Industry) and Heri Akhmadi (the secretary-general of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle).
He also defended a number of Soeharto critics, including Sri Bintang Pamungkas, Ali Sadikin, Kemal Idris and labor activist Muchtar Pakpahan.
"Most cases I have taken are controversial, including Soeharto's," he said, adding that he decided to defend the former president because Soeharto already had fallen from power and was having legal difficulties.
First asked to join Soeharto's defense team in 1998, Assegaf, who has been affiliated with Amien Rais' National Mandate Party (PAN), was faced with a dilemma which led him to seek advice from veteran lawyers such as Dawam Rahardjo, Quraish Shihab and Adnan Buyung Nasution.
"I was told to stay professional and take risks. That's what I am doing now. I won't be blinded by my dislike for someone, which would make me treat a person unfairly," he said.
Assegaf is married to Nina, and the couple have three daughters and a son, who seems to be following his father into the field of law.