Three prosecutors punished for bribery

JAKARTA (JP): Three state prosecutors have been found guilty of taking hundred-million rupiah bribes while handling preliminary investigations of a corruption case involving former president Soeharto's eldest daughter Siti Hardijanti "Tutut" Rukmana.

Attorney General Marzuki Darusman said on Thursday that the three, who had handled a government project to construct an oil pipeline in Java, added to the dozens of cases across the country of prosecutors who have been punished for bribery, concealing evidence or undisciplined behavior in the past year.

He refused to elaborate.

Deputy Attorney for Career Development Affairs, Soeparman, said that the three prosecutors were from the Attorney General's Office of intelligence affairs. They were subject to administrative sanctions after an investigation against them starting in November revealed that they were guilty.

"One of them, Anang S. Basuni was dismissed while two others, namely, Ibnu Haryadi and Charles Mooi were demoted and cannot be promoted for one year," he said as quoted by Suara Pembaruan in an interview.

Suparman declined to disclose more details, including when the sanctions took effect and where the money came from.

The construction of oil pipeline scandal not only implicated Tutut, commissioner of PT Trihasra Bimanusa Tunggal, but also former Pertamina president Faisal Abda'oe and PT Trihasra director Rosano Barrack.

The Attorney General's Office, which started investigating the project on Nov. 11, 2000, found irregularities in the agreement between state oil and gas company Pertamina and PT Trihasra Bimanusa Tunggal.

The scam had allegedly caused some US$22 million in losses to the state. (bby)