We have enough to indict Sjahril: Chief prosecutor

JAKARTA (JP): Despite the fact that Djoko S. Tjandra and Pande Nasorahona Lubis have been freed from all charges by a district court in the Rp 546 billion (US$57 million) Bank Bali scandal, a chief prosecutor said on Wednesday that ample evidence exists to convict Bank Indonesia governor Sjahril Sabirin.

"Why the initial two defendants were freed by a lower court here is not for me to be concerned with. We have ample evidence to convict defendant Sjahril Sabirin.

"My obligation is to prove this in court," Y.W. Mere told reporters at the Central Jakarta District Court on Wednesday, after handing over the indictment and Sjahril's dossiers to the district court.

The 58-page indictment, evidence and dossiers were officially received by the district court's chief of clerks, Sidabalok.

Along with his four-member team of prosecutors, Mere is scheduled to prosecute the case, with Sjahril as primary defendant, next year.

Djoko S. Tjandra was freed last September after judges at the South Jakarta District Court declared that prosecutors had failed to present more than one witness to prove that the defendant had influenced officials to disburse Rp 904 billion in funds, as stated in their indictment.

A director of trading and investment firm PT Era Giat Prima (EGP), Djoko had taken over Bank Bali's interbank loans from closed bank BDNI, and allegedly influenced certain officials, including Sjahril Sabirin, to disburse Rp 904 billion to recoup the funds.

When reminded of the "only one witness problem," Mere said that it did not matter.

"This is not an election where the most votes determine a decision," Mere said.

"This is about the truth in the evidence, backed by relevant instances which prove that the defendant deserves to be convicted."

The South Jakarta District Court, notorious for freeing defendants in graft cases, such as former president Soeharto's son Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, also freed former IBRA deputy chairman Pande Lubis of all charges last month due to lack of evidence.

After the September verdict on Djoko, chief prosecutor Antasari who handled the case was then promoted to chief of the South Jakarta Prosecutor's Office.

The prosecutors' indictment charges Sjahril, 57, for violation of Paragraph 1a of Article 1 of the 1971 Anticorruption Law, which carries a maximum punishment of life imprisonment.

"We handed over the dossiers to the Central Jakarta District Court, with the defendant's status as a free man. Should the court decide to put him under arrest is up to them," Mere said.

Sjahril was officially released from the custody of the Attorney General's Office on Dec. 4 after completing his term of arrest status. (ylt)