Witnesses say judge paid Rp 550m in land dispute case
Witnesses say judge paid Rp 550m in land dispute case
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Witnesses told the Central Jakarta District Court on Wednesday
that they had bribed the defendant, now a Jakarta High Court
judge, to rule in their favor in a land dispute.
Toriq Bayasur, the internal bureau chief of PT Surabaya
Industrial Estate Rungkut (PT SIER), testified to having handed
over defendant Fauzatulo Zendrato two signed slips authorizing a
total of Rp 550 million to be withdrawn from his bank account. At
the time, the defendant was the official in charge of the appeals
division of the Supreme Court.
Fauzatulo is being prosecuted for allegedly receiving Rp 550
million in bribes from PT SIER for his services in making
arrangements with the Supreme Court judges who were to hear the
case. The company won its case two years ago.
Toriq told the court that he, along with the late Sudarno, the
company's lawyer, met with Fauzatulo at the Bank Dagang Negara
branch on Jl. MH Thamrin, Central Jakarta, to fill in two bank
withdrawal slips for Rp 150 million and Rp 400 million
respectively. They handed the slips to the defendant as a payment
for arranging matters with the judges who were to hear the case.
"The defendant promised us that he would deliver the money to
the designated judges," Toriq said.
He said Fauzatulo had requested that the money not be
transferred directly to his account but rather delivered through
Toriq's account in June 1999.
Meanwhile, PT SIER president director Gawi Oemar confirmed
that he had authorized the process after discussing it at a
meeting of the company's shareholders.
"The reason we allocated this sum of money was to settle the
land dispute," Gawi said at the hearing.
"I didn't witness the handover of the money and there was no
receipt. I only relied on Torig and the late Sudarno's report
that the money had been delivered," he added.
At the end of the hearing, Fauzatulo confirmed that the
testimony of the witnesses was true.
"I did receive the withdrawal slips," he told presiding judge
Bambang Sriwulan.
Fauzatulo is accused of violating the Anticorruption Law and
Article 418 of the Criminal Code, which forbid state officials
from receiving gifts.