Jakarta Globe | October 25, 2010
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| Trumped up charges against Corruption Eradication Commission deputy chairmen Bibit Samad Riyanto and Chandra Hamzah have been dropped, the Attorney General's Office said on Monday. (Antara Photo) |
Jakarta. Indonesia’s Attorney General’s Office has been forced to resort to an old Dutch law to drop criminal charges against respected Corruption Eradication Commission deputy chairmen Bibit Samad Riyanto and Chandra Hamzah.
Muhammad Amari, the deputy attorney general for special crimes, said it had implemented the ‘deponering’ principle, that allows prosecutors to halt a prosecution in the public interest.
Bibit and Chandra were accused of extorting Rp 5.1 billion ($570,000) from businessman Anggodo Widjojo in exchange for halting a criminal investigation into his brother, Anggoro Widjojo, and lifting an overseas travel ban on him.
The case was widely believed to be part of a conspiracy involving elements of the national police and AGO to discredit the respected commission, also known as the KPK, which has made powerful enemies within the two institutions during its struggle against Indonesia's endemic corruption.
The case against the deputies was dropped by the Attorney General’s Office last year but the Jakarta High Court later ruled it must continue. The Supreme Court recently ruled that the pair must stand trial, prompting the AGO to select the deponering option.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has previously been reported as calling on all parties to settle the matter out of the courts.
Had the case gone to trial, the government’s case was believed to be weak. Senior police and AGO officials were alleged to have lied about the evidence they had, though no action was ever taken against them.
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