KPK is still oversized, Never Charged Case Gaius

JAKARTA - Speaker of the House Marzuki Alie believes bribery case Gaius Tambunan still handled the Police. The discourse took over the case by the KPK was considered inappropriate because the Commission is still busy handling cases of corruption by the hundreds.
"But frankly it's the KPK itself is oversized. Many processes in the KPK has not been handled thousands of complaints in number one," Marzuki said at the Parliament Building, Jakarta, Friday (11/19/2010).

Gaius Moved to Rutan Cipinang

JAKARTA-Chief Justice of South Jakarta District Court, Albertina HO request for a money laundering case defendant moved to Gaius Tambunan Rutan class 1 Cipinang.
"Based on the assessment panel of judges, Gaius is less favorable if the defendant was in Rutan Mako Mobile Brigade, so the judges decided to move the defendant to a class 1 Cipinang Rutan," the judges said during the trial in the District Court of South Jakarta, Jakarta, Monday (22/11 / 2010).

The Saga Ends for Indonesia’s Corruption Fighters

The long-running saga involving suspended antigraft officials Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra M Hamzah is expected to finally end today, with prosecutors saying they will drop charges against the two while the President’s Office drafts a decree to reinstate them. The Attorney General’s Office, finally bowing to public pressure, announced on Monday that it had decided to drop the controversial case “to bring harmony between law agencies.” “The psychological circumstances have made the case unworthy of a trial and it would be morally harmful rather than beneficial if we brought the case to court,” Marwan Effendy, the deputy attorney general for special crimes, said of the reasons behind the decision. A letter formally halting the prosecution will be issued by the head of the South Jakarta Prosecutor’s Office. Both Chandra and Bibit, who in September were charged with abuse of power and extortion, are expected to receive copies at 4 p.m. today, Marwan said. “Under the articles of the anti-corruption law, the charges against Chandra Hamzah and Bibit Samad Rianto were valid …. However, we consider that the two suspects did not realize the consequences of their actions and that what they did was regarded as a normal procedure as it was commonly practiced by their predecessors,” Marwan said without elaborating. “The public believes that the two suspects should not be held accountable because it is their duty to fight for a breakthrough against corruption,” Marwan said. He added that the decision “was also meant to maintain close coordination and harmony between law-enforcement agencies in our common task to combat corruption.” Meanwhile, the government has drafted a presidential decree to restore Bibit and Chandra to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), but will only formalize it once the AGO has issued the letter halting their prosecution, said Denny Indrayana, the president’s legal affairs adviser. Indrayana said that since the KPK deputies were suspended by a presidential decree, another was needed to reinstate them and to honorably discharge Waluyo and Mas Ahmad Santosa, who had been appointed to temporarily replace them. “Once the case is dropped, [they] can return to the KPK,” he added. Bibit told the Jakarta Globe he was relieved it was all over. “I am just grateful that the case has finally ended,” Bibit said. “If there is anything we can learn from my case, it is that the fight against corruption is far from over. We have seen how corrupt officials can fabricate a case.” Another lesson, he said, was the need to set up strong procedural mechanisms for KPK members to guide them in their work. “We shall examine all of our procedures so we can do our jobs confidently and to ensure there won’t be any more attempts to undermine the KPK,” he said. Fadjroel Rachman, a senior activist from the Anticorruption Civil Society Coalition (Kompak), welcomed the return of Bibit and Chandra to the KPK as “a victory for the people who have long seen irregularities in the case.” He also said the case against businessman Anggodo Widjojo, at the core of the KPK scandal should not be dropped.

Witness Protection Agency Suspends Two for Alleged Involvement in KPK Affair

The Witness and Victim Protection Agency has suspended two of its members over their alleged involvement in an apparent conspiracy to undermine the Corruption Eradication Commission. “Both Myra Diarsi and Ketut Sudiharsa have been suspended pending deliberations over their futures in an internal probe. The matter of whether they will be asked to resign will also be discussed,” said Abdul Haris Semendawai, the chairman of the agency, also known as the LPSK. He added that they were following the recommendation of the so-called Team of Eight, a fact-finding team established by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to investigate an extortion scandal involving Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) deputies Chandra M Hamzah and Bibit Samad Rianto. The two deputies have been accused by police of abuse of power and extortion, though the chief of the Constitutional Court on Wednesday voiced his opinion that the case was fabricated. At least four telephone conversations between Ketut and businessman Anggodo Widjojo were wiretapped by the KPK. The recordings suggest that Ketut had tried to arrange for the LPSK, although unsuccessfully, to protect Anggodo’s brother, graft fugitive Anggoro Widjojo, from the KPK. Myra Diarsi was suspended for allegedly requesting Ketut to provide protection for Anggoro and his colleagues. Semendawai said on Thursday that the LPSK had set up an ad hoc ethics committee tasked with conducting an investigation into Ketut’s and Myra Diarsi’s actions. It will rule in about two weeks whether the two were guilty of ethics violations in the case. The LPSK had earlier stated that it would follow the Team of Eight’s recommendations, which included institutional reforms and the transfer of personnel in the National Police, Attorney General’s Office, KPK, and the LPSK. Separately, Zainal Abidin, from the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), said on Friday the LPSK should continue its normal work despite the suspensions, because he believed the agency could help reform the judiciary. “Witnesses or victims of the judicial mafia should receive protection, and this comes from the LPSK,” Zainal said. “A person like [alleged case broker] Ary Muladi must be protected because he is a key state witness who can unravel the schemes conjured up by the judicial mafia in so many cases. If we want to eradicate the judicial mafia, we must urge the LPSK to continue to provide protection for state witnesses.” Zainal was referring to the fact that Anggodo had asked for the LPSK’s help in protecting Ary Muladi, the middleman in the scandal involving the KPK deputies, and Putranevo, chief director of Anggoro’s company, PT Masaro Radiokom. Anggoro fled the country after the KPK raided Masaro’s offices for its alleged involvement in an illegal procurement case at the Ministry of Forestry in 2006. While on the run, Anggoro made claims that he had bribed several KPK officials. Semendawai said Anggodo had initially asked for police protection for the two men, and the police had suggested that Anggodo contact the LPSK. LPSK member Myra Diarsi then allegedly asked Ketut to provide the two with protection. He said Ketut had admitted to being present when Anggodo came in to request protection from the LPSK and that the request had been officially accepted by Myra. In the wiretapped conversations, Ketut repeatedly expressed his concern to Anggodo that their conversations could be bugged, because there were “communication interruptions,” or strange clicking noises, during the conversations and Anggodo’s voice sounded “small.” “We can’t protect you if we are bugged. Protection involves privacy,” Ketut said, noting that protection demanded that anyone outside the LPSK should not know anything about the agency’s clients.

Indonesian Investigation Condemns Police and Prosecutors

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will meet the country’s attorney general and National Police chief today following the release of a damning report by a special fact-finding team about the prosecution of two senior officials from the Corruption Eradication Commission. While stopping short of saying the police and state prosecutors had fabricated extortion and abuse of power charges against Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra M Hamzah, the team concluded that the investigation into the suspended deputies of the antigraft commission, also known as the KPK, was “forced” and lacked evidence to support it. The eight-person team, appointed by Yudhoyono amid public outrage on Nov. 2 to get to the bottom of the KPK investigation scandal, recommended that the charges against the commissioners be dropped. The Team of Eight report also urged the president to conduct institutional reforms in the National Police and Attorney General’s Office and punish any officials found to be involved in fabricating charges against the commissioners. The team also recommended that an investigation continue into whether Susno Duadji, the former National Police chief of detectives, had illegally intervened in the PT Bank Century bailout scandal to help businessman Boedi Sampoerna recover frozen funds. There are allegations, as yet unproven, that Susno launched the investigation against Bibit and Chandra after the KPK began investigating him for possible corruption involving the Bank Century case. The team personally submitted its 31-page report to Yudhoyono on Tuesday, but the nation, which has been riveted by the growing scandal for weeks, will have to wait until next week to see how the president reacts. “It is hoped that by Monday, at the latest, either in the morning or by noon, the president will be able to directly explain the steps to be taken for the good of our country,” Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto said. The scandal has overshadowed the early part of Yudhoyono’s second term, exposing widespread corruption within the country’s law enforcement agencies and threatening to derail the president’s antigraft program, analysts said. The report states that the initial police investigation was warranted based on the testimonies of former KPK Chairman Antasari Azhar and businessman Ary Muladi that said the KPK officials had taken bribes to drop a graft probe against fugitive businessman Anggoro Widjojo. “As the case developed, the police could not find any evidence of bribery or blackmail, however the police seemed to insist on an allegation of abuse of authority by Chandra and Bibit,” team spokesman Anies Baswedan said after meeting the president. Hikmahanto Juwana, another team member, said it “came to the conclusion that the facts were not strong enough, leading to the impression that the evidence and the charges had been contrived.” The report said police investigators and AGO prosecutors told the team they were pressured by their superiors to pursue the case against the KPK officials. The team recommended a campaign to eradicate the middlemen who worked illegally within law enforcement institutions to broker payoffs between suspects and law enforcers. Legal reform, Yudhoyono said after meeting the team at the State Palace, was a priority of his administration. “Even though I want to immediately respond to [the recommendations], there are internal processes on the part of the government that we have to abide by,” he said. Bambang Widjojanto, a lawyer for Bibit and Chandra, said there was no excuse for the National Police and the AGO to pursue the case further. The police have resubmitted charges against Chandra to the AGO three times already, while the AGO returned the charges against Bibit on Monday to police, asking they be improved.

Chief Denies Indonesia National Police Plotted Against Antasari

Acknowledging that the National Police was feeling increasingly cornered, Chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri denied on Wednesday that any officers doctored evidence to build a case against former anticorruption czar Antasari Azhar for murder. The denial came a day after a key witness at Antasari’s murder trial, police Snr. Comr. Wiliardi Wizar, said in court that he was forced by National Police and Jakarta Police investigators to make bogus testimony against Antasari in relation to the murder of businessman Nasrudin Zulkarnaen on March 14. “We feel cornered. It is hard to believe that a senior commissioner could be pressured by investigators of lower ranks,” Bambang told a news conference. “We have a video recording of the questioning [of Wiliardi]. It will show there that there was no pressure.” Antasari, former chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), and Wiliardi are co-defendants in the murder, but are being tried separately. Wiliardi was testifying for the prosecution on Tuesday, but instead, the former South Jakarta district police chief caused an uproar by claiming that police persuaded him to make confessions matching those of another co-defendant in the murder case, businessman Sigid Haryo Wibisono. Wiliardi also claimed that Insp. Gen. Hadiatmoko, the National Police’s then deputy chief of detectives, promised him that he would not be detained if he cooperated. Later on Wednesday, the National Police played video footage of Wiliardi’s interrogations for reporters to show that he was not intimidated or coerced into making false statements against Antasari following his arrest in late April. The undated footage showed Wiliardi, accompanied by his lawyer, looking relaxed, even allowed to smoke cigarettes. “Actually, we wanted to unveil all the evidence in court,” National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Nanan Soekarna told a news conference. “We don’t want to debate this in the media, but we have to show you the video footage.” However, a lawyer for Wiliardi, Apolos Djara Bonga, as well as Wiliardi’s wife, Nova, who were present for part of his interrogation, insisted that he had faced police intimidation. “As his lawyer, I was forbidden to meet him between April 28 and April 30. We shall disclose other important evidence in court in connection with the intimidation,” Djara said. Wiliardi’s testimony could deal another blow to the National Police, already under fire for its handling of an investigation against two KPK deputy chairmen, Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra M Hamzah, after wiretapped telephone conversations suggested that police had plotted to frame the duo for bribery. Adnan Buyung Nasution, the head of a presidential fact-finding team investigating the legitimacy of the case against the two suspended KPK deputy chairmen, said Wiliardi’s claims could further sway public opinion about an alleged conspiracy to bring down the KPK. “It’s getting clear now that something has gone wrong in the country,” he said. “The case of Bibit and Chandra and the case of Antasari may have links, that they come from a single scenario to destroy the KPK,” Adnan said. “And I’m wondering, who is behind all this?” The National Police played two other videos for journalists to counter claims they forced Antasari to file an official complaint against his two KPK colleagues for allegedly receiving bribes. “Antasari himself even helped us find the [evidence] file on his computer on June 11, when our investigators came with him to the KPK offices,” Nanan said. “Now you can analyze who wants to weaken the commission. The police have remained professional in handling this case.”

Police Set Up Antasari, Says Key Witness in Former Indonesia Antigraft Czar's Trial

The murder trial of Antasari Azhar was thrown into an uproar on Tuesday when a key witness claimed that police had set up Indonesia's former anti-corruption czar to be the main suspect of their investigation into the high-profile murder of businessman Nasrudin Zulkarnaen. Wiliardi Wizar, a middle-rank National Police officer and a co-defendant in the murder, was supposed to testify against Antasari. Instead, he said that he had been forced by National Police and Jakarta city police investigators to make statements that would implicate Antasari, who was chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) at the time of the March 14 murder. “I swear in the name of God that [police told me], ‘Our target is only Antasari’,” Wiliardi said, describing his interrogation at Jakarta Police headquarters after his arrest in late April. Wiliardi, a former South Jakarta district police chief, told the court that he was shown the dossier of another co-defendant in the murder, businessman Sigid Haryo Wibisono, and was persuaded by police to make confessions to match that dossier. “They read Sigid’s dossier to me and said, ‘Let’s make yours just the same.’ Therefore, my own dossier is full of lies,” Wiliardi said. Antasari, Sigid, Wiliardi, and a middleman named Jerry Hermawan were put on trial separately last month for allegedly conspiring to kill Nasrudin, an executive of state-owned company. Antasari allegedly ordered the execution after Nasrudin threatened to blackmail him over an affair with the businessman’s third wife, Rani Juliani, who is a local golf caddy. Wiliardi is accused of recruiting men to carry out an ambush on Nasrudin’s car as he left a golf course in Tangerang where she worked. Nasrudin died of gunshot wounds the following day. In his court testimony, Wiliardi also said that Hadiatmoko, the National Police’s deputy chief of detectives at that time, promised he would only receive internal disciplinary action and escape detention if he agreed to cooperate in the investigation. “I was asked to give testimony [during the interrogation] against Antasari and was promised I could go home in exchange. I feel sorry for the defendant because of my dossier,” Wiliardi said. His testimony could deal another blow to the National Police, which is already under fire for its handling of an investigation against two KPK deputy chairmen, after wiretapped telephone conversations suggest that police had plotted to frame the duo. “God never sleeps. I am being tyrannized but the truth has started to emerge. Allahu Akbar,” a tearful Antasari said after Wiliardi’s testimony. “My client was really shocked by Wiliardi’s remarks,” said defense lawyer Juniver Girsang. “Now we’ve all heard that the police have set up a case against Antasari.” However, Sigid, testifying last week for the prosecution, said that Antasari had asked him to provide money to finance the murder. Speaking separately, National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Nanan Soekarna said that Police Chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri was not involved in any plot to fabricate a case against Antasari. “Antasari filed a report in 2008 with National Police Chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri demanding investigation into the threats he had received [from Nasruin] as a state official,” Nanan said. “The National Police chief then set up a team to investigate led by Sr. Comr. Chairul Anwar, but this team was dismissed after Antasari refused to file official compliant with the police.” Earlier Tuesday, Chairul also testified at Antasari’s trial, saying that on Jan. 5, when he was the South Jakarta police chief, Danuri personally ordered him to launch an investigation into Nasrudin based on Antasari’s complaints. Chairul said that Antasari asked him to find out whether Rani was really Nasrudin’s wife, and whether Nasrudin used drugs. “Police interrogated the couple during their visit to Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, and learned that Nasrudin didn’t use drugs and that they were husband and wife,” Chairul told the court.

Indonesian President’s Team Finds No Evidence in Anticorruption Saga

The fact-finding team appointed to review the National Police’s handling of two suspended members of the country’s antigraft commission confirmed on Monday they had found the police did not have sufficient preliminary evidence to suspect the pair of abuse of power and extortion. Adnan Buyung Nasution, a presidential adviser heading the so-called Team of Eight, told a news conference that the National Police had been unable to provide solid evidence that Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra M Hamzah, the suspended deputy chairmen of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), had ever received bribe money. “[The only] evidence that police were able to provide was the disbursement of money from Anggodo to Ary Muladi,” he said. “The argument that Ary Muladi channeled the money to Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra Hamzah, directly or indirectly, is not supported by solid evidence.” Adnan was referring to businessman Anggodo Widjojo, the brother of fugitive Anggoro Widjojo who is wanted in a graft investigation, and Ary Muladi, who police have accused of being the middleman in the bribery case. The National Police have insisted that they were right in naming the antigraft commissioners as suspects in their investigation, saying that the evidence against them was overwhelming. Police have accused Bibit and Chandra of receiving Rp 1.5 billion ($160,000) and Rp 1 billion respectively from Anggoro through Anggodo, in return for not naming Anggoro a suspect in one of the KPK’s investigations. “There are too many missing links,” Team of Eight member Todung Mulya Lubis told the Jakarta Globe. “It’s [the team’s] belief that it’s quite difficult for prosecutors to prove that there is a case.” However, Todung was reluctant to say whether or not there was indeed a plot to oust Bibit and Chandra from their posts at the KPK. “We’ll let the people decide. Let people judge [for themselves],” he said. Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto forwarded the team’s report to the president. Djoko later said that the president had asked the National Police and the Attorney General’s Office to respond to the report. Anies Baswedan, another member of the fact-finding team, said that recommendations would be prepared for the president before the team’s term ended on Monday. However, both the team and the legal affairs minister have acknowledged that the team has no power to stop the National Police or the Attorney General’s Office from pursuing the case. “The team only verifies whether the legal facts [in the case] are valid. The legal process cannot be stopped by anyone, and the same applies to any case,” Djoko said at the State Palace. The deputies’ lawyer, Bambang Wijoyanto, applauded the team’s findings and said he hoped that its recommendations would also reflect the team’s stance on the case. “The team must evaluate the social implications of the case and not just the formal legal procedures,” he said. “The team must recommend the president side with the social and legal justice accepted by the Indonesian people, especially in view of the overwhelming evidence of a plot to undermine the KPK.” But Hasril Hertanto, a University of Indonesia analyst, said the team must be firmer, including recommending that all officials involved in the apparent plot be charged with obstruction of justice and that Anggodo, who has openly admitted that he provided the illicit money, be charged with attempted bribery. “The president must instruct the Attorney General’s Office to thoroughly examine the case before prosecuting it, and warn it not to be in a rush to accept the case,” he said. The police, he added, should be transparent in their investigation to reassure the public the case was not fabricated. “If there was indeed a plot, police must prosecute all those who were involved.”

Indonesia's Team of 8 Reaches Decision in KPK Case

A special fact-finding team has drawn a preliminary conclusion on whether there was a conspiracy to frame senior officials of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and will present it to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as early as Monday, officials said. The assessment of the legitimacy of the National Police investigation against Chandra M Hamzah and Bibit Samad Rianto, suspended deputy chairmen of the commission, known as the KPK, comes as former KPK chief Antasari Azhar said on Sunday he wasn’t sure that his deputies ever took bribes. Anies Baswedan, a member of the eight-person fact-finding team, known as the Team of Eight, on Sunday said the team was trying to arrange a meeting with the president today, but declined to say what it had concluded regarding the investigation. “We will discuss all of the progress we have made,” he said, commending the police and state prosecutors for being cooperative. “It will include whether we still need more information from other people.” Anies said the team had reached a conclusion about whether there was a plot to frame the KPK officials. “I will answer your detailed questions … after we report to the president,” he said. The KPK scandal involves an alleged plot by officials within the National Police and Attorney General’s Office to frame Chandra and Bibit on corruption charges as part of an effort to destroy the commission. On Sunday, following an interview with the fact-finding team, Antasari described to reporters his meeting in Singapore late last year with fugitive graft suspect Anggoro Widjojo, who is alleged to have channeled bribe money to Chandra and Bibit to avoid prosecution. Anggoro ran PT Masaro Radiokom, which is being investigated by the KPK in relation to a 2006 Forestry Ministry project. Antasari said he agreed to meet Anggoro after hearing that some KPK commissioners were taking bribes. He said he later met in Malang, East Java, with Ary Muladi, who is alleged to have passed money from Anggoro to Bibit and Chandra. “Because I love the KPK, I went to Singapore and met with Anggoro. He gave testimony and spoke convincingly as if there were bribery in the KPK,” said Antasari, who is on trial for murder in another case. “I repeatedly asked Anggoro about this when I met him in Singapore. There was no evidence provided.” “Ary [later] told me details of how he transferred the money. But I cannot determine if it was true or not,” he added. Antasari said he was never forced to tell the National Police about the alleged bribery. He said the testimony he gave to police was based on Anggoro’s testimony in Singapore. “Then the police wanted to follow up this case,” he said. The National Police have cited the testimonies of Antasari and Ary as grounds to investigate Chandra and Bibit. Ary has since retracted his testimony, and he expressed deep regret on Saturday for claiming to have bribed the KPK officials. Chandra and Bibit have denied taking any money. They were released from jail last week but remain under investigation. On Friday night, the president’s fact-finding team met with police and state prosecutors to gather details about the investigation into the KPK. Late on Thursday, National Police Chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri told a House of Representatives hearing that police had enough evidence to bring the KPK deputies to court, and denied any plot to frame them. Lawyers for Chandra and Bibit, meanwhile, repeated their calls on Sunday for the police to drop the investigation. “Ary Muladi has firmly said he never met my clients, neither did he hand them money as accused earlier by police,” defense lawyer Ahmad Rivai said. The controversial case reached a turning point last week after the Constitutional Court played wiretapped phone conversations involving Anggoro’s brother, Anggodo Widjojo, a prosecutor from the Attorney General’s Office, and several unidentified persons apparently discussing a plot to frame Chandra and Bibit.

Indonesia's Antigraft Facebook 'Movement' Reaches One Million

A Facebook group has surpassed its goal of one million members in support of Indonesia's embattled antigraft deputies, Chandra Hamzah and Bibit Samad Riyanto. The membership tally was approaching 1,010,000 as of mid-morning on Saturday. 'Gerakan 1.000.000 Facebookers Dukung Chandra Hamzah & Bibit Samad Riyanto' (Movement of 1,000,000 Facebookers Supporting Chandra Hamzah & Bibit Samad Riyanto) was launched after the two suspended Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) officers were arrested last week on suspicion of abuse of power. It has been cited as an example of widespread popular support for the anticorruption leaders and the antigraft movement in general. Bibit and Chandra were released on bail after a dramatic court hearing on Tuesday in which hours of wiretapped phone conversations appeared to reveal members of the National Police and Attorney General's Office conspiring with the brother of a graft suspect in a plot to frame the two men. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has since vowed to devote his first 100 days in office to eradicating Indonesia's so-called 'judicial mafia'.

Antasari Lawyers Question Rani’s Account of Hotel Trysts

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Golf Caddy Rani Will Not Testify on Tuesday Due to Migraine

Golf caddy Rani Juliani will not take the witness stand during Antasari Azhar’s hearing in the Nasrudin Zulkarnaen murder trial on Tuesday because she is reportedly unwell. Rani’s lawyer, Jimmy Simajuntak, told the press she had received the court summons but she could not answer it because she had a migraine. Jimmy said his client will hopefully be able to testify during Thursday’s hearing. Antasari’s trial will hear from 45 witnesses, so for efficiency, the court is holding hearings twice a week on every Tuesday and Thursday. The hearings are open to public but in Rani’s case, will be closed for decency because the indictment in the case outlines details of a sexual relationship beween Rani and Antasari. The sound system will be turned off and media will not be allowed inside the room. Head judge Herri Swantoro told the press that Rani will be questioned about what happened in Room 803 of Hotel Grand Mahakam when she met with Antasari Azhar.

Antasari’s Murder Trial Set To Begin

Suspended Corruption Eradication Commission chairman Antasari Azhar will go on trial today for allegedly ordering the Mafia-style murder of businessman Nasrudin Zulkarnaen. The murder, the alleged result of a love triangle involving one of the dead man’s wives, involves claims of abuse of power, sex, money and scandalous behavior. Antasari will be tried in the South Jakarta District Court along with three other defendants. All four are alleged to have carried out a plan to kill Nasrudin, an executive at a state-owned company who was shot in his car in Tangerang in March. The other defendants are businessman Sigid Haryo Wibisono, who allegedly provided Rp 500 million ($53,000) to finance the murder, police official Wiliardi Wizar, who police believe recruited the gunmen, and alleged middleman Jerry Hermawan Lo. A spokesperson for the court said the defendants would be tried separately. The Jakarta Police will deploy 500 officers today to provide security at the court. “The case has drawn a lot of attention, so we must ensure high security at the trial venue,” a police spokesman said on Wednesday. Antasari was arrested on May 4. It took five months for police and prosecutors to prepare charges and indictments against the four suspects. An Attorney General’s Office official said prosecutors could not immediately prepare the indictment after receiving testimony from Rani Juliani, Nasrudin’s third wife, because the police documents contained “indecent remarks.” Rani, a golf caddy, went into hiding after Antasari’s arrest, which triggered a media circus. She later told police about an intimate encounter with Antasari prior to the murder. Five other men, including the two alleged gunmen, are currently on trial for the murder in the in Tangerang District Court.

New Indonesian Anticorruption Chief Seeks to Build Trust In KPK

The new acting chief of the Corruption Eradication Commission on Tuesday insisted that the antigraft body would remain independent and able to resist any attempts to interfere in its work. Tumpak Hatorangan Panggabean said he was well aware of the skepticism regarding the independence of the commission, known as the KPK, created by his appointment and those of two other commissioners. “The KPK is an independent institution. All five of us will ensure that the KPK will not be subject to intervention by anyone in any way,” Tumpak said after being sworn in. Tumpak, a former KPK deputy chief, Mas Achmad Santosa and Waluyo were all sworn in as interim commissioners at the State Palace on Tuesday, with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in attendance. They joined KPK deputy chiefs Muhammad Jasin and Haryono Umar to form the leadership of the anti-graft body. The appointment of the three new commissioners has stirred controversy. Yudhoyono issued a presidential regulation authorizing the temporary replacements of three suspended commissioners, a move that some lawmakers complained skirted legal procedures for selecting KPK commissioners. This followed the automatic suspension of two commissioners who were charged with abuse of power by the police, and a third who is facing a murder trial. Critics say the abuse of power charges are intended to weaken the KPK. On Tuesday, Tumpak vowed that the new commissioners would enforce five principles: legal certainty, public interest, transparency, accountability and proportionality. Santosa said the new commissioners would make it a priority to restore the public’s trust in the KPK, and reignite the KPK’s mission of aggressively fighting corruption. He said they would seek to work with other law enforcement agencies, particularly the police and public prosecutors. The commission will also seek support from the executive and legislative branches, he said. “Let us prove ourselves by our actions first,” Santosa said. Waluyo said the KPK would pursue all corruption cases supported by strong evidence until they were resolved. “We agreed to go directly to the KPK office to start working,” said Waluyo, a former KPK deputy. Jasin noted that the three interim commissioners sworn in on Tuesday had all previously served in the commission, just as the remaining two KPK commissioners had suggested regarding the appointments of interim members. The three interim commissioners were short-listed by a team made up of two government ministers, two human rights lawyers and one former KPK chairman. The new commissioners held a closed door meeting after the ceremony and unanimously chose Tumpak to become the acting KPK chief. Tumpak said Santosa and Jasin will focus on investigation and prosecuting corruption, while Waluyo and Haryono will focus on prevention. Teten Masduki, the secretary general of Transparency International Indonesia, said the three new members were “the safest choice to stop speculation that the president was trying to install someone he could control.” However, Teten said such speculation would persist unless the KPK prosecuted major graft cases, particularly the Bank Century case, which allegedly involves a senior police officer and a major contributor to Yudhoyono’s election campaign.

Police grills two KPK investigators

Two Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) answer police summons on Wednesday in relation to a criminal case, in which two KPK deputies have been implicated. KPK legal bureau head Khaidir Ramli told reporters that investigators Wisnu Baroto and Roni Santana have arrived at the National Police Headquarters in South Jakarta. KPK deputies Chandra M Hamzah and Bibit Samad Riyanto were naems suspects two weeks ago for an alleged abuse of power in issuing bans on corruption suspects Anggoro Widodo and Djoko S Chandra (who are now at large) and for lifting the travel ban on Joko. The police subsequently accused them of having received bribes from Anggoro to halt investigations into corruption cases implicating Anggoro's company, PT Masaro Radiokom. The police are summoning two other KPK deputies – Haryono Umar and M Jasin – on Thursday and two more investigators. Six national commission have criticized the police for criminalizing the KPK deputies, saying the action had indications of legal uncertainty and was a violation of human rights.

Sabotage of KPK power 'systematic'

The entire deliberation process of the anticorruption court bill shows a "systematic" effort to end the war on graft by weakening the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), a lawmaker said. As of Wednesday, nine out of 10 factions at the House of Representatives were still lobbying the government to end the KPK's authority to prosecute. They want to limit such authority to those under the jurisdiction of the Attorney General’s Office (AGO). The representative of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) on the working committee deliberating the bill called for “extraordinary efforts” to salvage the antigraft body and the corruption eradication movement from vested interests. “The move is part of a systematic attempt not only to kill the antigraft body but mainly to weaken the ongoing war on corruption that has been categorized as an extraordinary crime in the country,” Nasir Djamil told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday. The PKS is the only faction now standing behind the government wanting to maintain the KPK’s prosecution mandate. Nursyahbani Katjasungkana of the National Awakening Party (PKB) said factions had put forward during lobbying time on Monday night an increasing number of proposals to give the prosecution authority back to the AGO. The noted lawyer said she personally shared the government’s wish to maintain the antigraft body’s prosecution and wire-tapping authority. Reliable sources at the committee said most factions were determined to revise the 2001 anticorruption law to give the prosecution mandate back to government prosecutors and take back the antigraft body’s wire-tapping authority. Previously, the House, which initially showed reluctance to deliberate the bill, bowed down to public pressure to put it back on the table. However the deliberation has raised criticism that these manoeuvres were designed to weaken the KPK. All factions and the government unanimously agreed to gradually decentralize the anticorruption court to 33 provinces and more than 450 regencies and municipalities, in effect hiding the body from public view. The committee and the government also agreed to give more seats to career judges despite the public’s distrust of the judiciary. A researcher for the Consortium for National Legal Reform (KRHN), Wahyudi Djafar, deemed the factions’ reasoning to take back KPK’s investigative and wire-tapping authority as illogical and groundless as the KPK has been considered effective in bringing corruptors to justice. “The factions' argument is that the authority to prosecute also belongs to the government prosecutors in other developed countries,” Wahyudi said. “But they forget that corruption in Indonesia has become an extraordinary crime and the antigraft body needs the authority to prosecute to effectively end corruption,” he said. Wahyudi also said the bill mandating the establishment of anticorruption courts in 33 provinces within one year was quite contentious, because it would be financially impossible for the government to do so.

Yudhoyono tells Police, KPK to end friction

"Shake Hands between Rivals on last President Election"
"Yudhoyono and Kalla in Last Govt Meeting on anti-graft campaign"

In a bid to continue his anti-graft campaign, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has asked the National Police and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to end their rivalries and co-operate in the handling of the country's graft cases. Speaking at the Presidential Office on Monday during a coordinating meeting on the fight against corruption, Yudhoyono said the KPK was having "friction" with the police, after previous rifts with the Supreme Court and the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK). "This is the reality. I let it come to light as part of our transparency. "Rivalry always exists; maybe between the attorney offices, the police and the KPK. It doesn't only happen in Indonesia. "But it's not that there is no solution. Let's return to the Constitution, to existing regulations. Let's enhance our communication and coordination, and respect each other's roles and functions." SBY told law enforcement institutions to seek internal solutions to settle problems among them instead venting to the press. He also told them to build synergy so as to boost efforts to eradicate graft practices in the country. Tension has been likely escalating between the police and the KPK particularly since National Police detectives' chief Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji protested earlier this month the commission's wiretapping of his conversation related to alleged graft case involving Bank Century and PT Antaboga and before the death of Nasrudin Zulkarnaen, former director of PT Putra Rajawali Banjaran, last March. Susno denied pointing his finger at the KPK, but rumors have gone so far as to the police are planning to arrest KPK deputy chairman Chandra Hamzah for "misusing authority" related to the wiretapping. National Police chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri said after the meeting that the police had no plans to arrest Chandra. He also denied that there had been any frictions or rivalries between the police and the anti-graft body. Chandra said heads of law enforcement institutions attending the meeting had agreed on improving communications among them as part of efforts to build the synergy in tackling with graft. He added there was no such thing as attempts to weaken the KPK. "We were even told that law enforcers needed to upgrade their capability and capacity." Vice President Jusuf Kalla - who severely lost to Yudhoyono at July 8 presidential election - was among those attending the meeting. The KPK has received public support in its fight against corruption, with the public calling for an end to moves to weaken the authority of the graft watchdog. The arrest of KPK suspended chairman, Antasari Azhar, has made the public worry that the antigraft body might lose sight of its goals in combating corruption. Antasari was arrested in relation to the murder of Nasrudin.

Author: The Jakarta Post

Antasari Azhar - Rani Juliani - Nasrudin Zulkarnain

"The Pic of Antasari Azhar - The Murderer Suspect"

"The Pic of Rani Juliani - The Murderer Reason??"

"The Pic of Nasrudin Zulkarnain - Murderer Victim"

The murderer case of Nasrudin Zulkarnain (a Manager of a Company that owned by the government) still on the investigation of Indonesia Policeman while the 9 murderer suspect include Antasari Azhar are in jail. The opinion that heard on public is not so clear right now, all of Indonesia media still wait the police investigation. The isues that said the murderer of Nasrudin Zulkarnain by Antasari Azhar cause a woman named Rani Juliani was denied by Antasari's Lawyer, Ari Yusuf Amir, he said that was only isues, this case was a trap to make Antasari Azhar out from his position as the Chief of Indonesian Commisian for Fight Against Corruption (KPK). This was a big game that planned by some "big people" that feel threatened by the move of KPK, he added. Who was right?? Let the time discover the truth! Indonesia Today

Chief of Indonesia Commission for Fight Against Corruption is one of Murderer suspect

Antasari Azhar, the chief of Indonesia Commission for Fight Against Corruption or KPK (Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi) become one of the murderer suspect. He was suspect for the case of the murderer of Nasrudin Zulkarnain, a Manager of Indonesia National Company. The isues said that the motive is about woman. The woman named is Rani Juliani aka Tika (you can visit her blog at rani-juliani.blogspot.com), a 22 years old caddy that they meet when they playing golf. Nasrudin Zulkarnain have 2 wifes and Rani Juliani will become his third wife, Antasari Azhar likes Rani too, Nasrudin knows it and said to Antasari not to close to Rani, Antasari apologize to Nasrudin because he like Rani and said to Nasrudin not to tell to the press or he will know the consequence via sms. Afraid Nasrudin will tell to media, then Antasari hire a assasin to kill Nasrudin. Now Antasari Azhar must face the law to responsible what was he do, he was fired from KPK. An embarassed moment again happen in Indonesia, a public officer break the law. what a bad example. (on the top right corner is the picture of Antasari Azhar) Indonesia Today