Witness: Victim bribed judges

Witness: Victim bribed judges

JAKARTA: A witness told a hearing of the murder of the
president director of PT Aneka Sarana Bakti (Asaba) on Thursday
that the victim hired him as middleman "to lobby officers at the
court, the penitentiary and the military police headquarters".

Budio Raharjo testified that he was once assigned by
Boedyharto Angsono to bribe the head of Salemba Penitentiary not
to provide facilities for defendant Gunawan Santoso, who at that
time was convicted of embezzlement after financial irregularities
involving Rp 40 billion (US$4.7 million) were discovered by PT
Asaba finance director Paulus Tejakusuma.

"I was also assigned to lobby the military police to silence a
police investigation of suspected forgery related to the
embezzlement charge," Budio said.

Along with another man identified as A Liong, Budio was
ordered to make sure the judges, including Supreme Court
justices, ruled against Boedyharto's ex son-in-law Gunawan.

Gunawan is charged with committing and ordering premeditated
murder in July of last year. The murder was carried out in the
parking lot of the Sasana Krida Sports Stadium in Penjaringan,
North Jakarta. If convicted the defendant could be sentenced to
death.

Presiding judge I Wayan Padang Pudjawan adjourned the trial
until March 23 to hear 11 witnesses. -- JP