Court Invalidates Graft Suspect Sutan Bhatoegana's Pretrial Challenge
Jakarta. South Jakarta District Court on Monday invalidated a pretrial motion filed by former Democratic Party legislator and corruption suspect Sutan Bhatoegana, who was challenging the decision of Indonesia's anti-graft agency to name him a suspect.
Judge Asiadi Sembiring ruled that Sutan's challenge did not conform with the Code of Criminal Procedures (KUHAP) and was deemed unfit for a pretrial hearing.
Under the KUHAP, a pretrial hearing cannot be authorized if a district court has started an investigation.
"[Sutan's] corruption case was handed over to the Jakarta Corruption Court on March 26, 2015," Asiadi said.
Rahmat Harahap, who represents Sutan, said he was disappointed with the court's ruling and believed the court had misinterpreted the code. He said that his client's case had been handed to Tipikor, but it had not yet been investigated.
"We're very disappointed because this is beyond our prediction. We hoped that the appeal would be accepted or rejected or granted, but not aborted," Rahmat said to CNNIndonesia.com. "We're planning to report about the code to the Judicial Committee, but we will have to coordinate it with the other lawyers first."
The Corruption Eradication Commission, or KPK, named Sutan a suspect on May 14, 2014, for allegedly accepting bribes when he chaired the House of Representatives’ oversight commission for energy in 2013. He was arrested on Feb. 2.
In a separate hearing, the South Jakarta District Court suspended a pretrial motion filed by corruption suspect and former minister Jero Wacik on Monday.
The court granted a request from the KPK that asked that Jero's hearing be adjourned for one week so it would have more time to prepare.
Jero, who was in court to hear Judge Sihar Purba grant the request, said he regretted the decision to suspend the trial.
"It seems to me [the KPK] is stalling the legal procedures, meanwhile all my rights have been withdrawn," he told CNNIndonesia.com. "This is really upsetting. I can't go abroad and my bank accounts are closed."
Jero has been named a graft suspect in two separate cases: the first emerged during his stint as minister of culture and tourism, and another while he was energy and mineral resources minister. Both are alleged to have happened under former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s reign.
Jero’s alleged abuse of power at the Tourism Ministry caused some Rp 7 billion ($539,000) in state losses, the KPK estimates. Meanwhile, the money he allegedly racked up through embezzlement and abuse of power as energy minister reportedly amounted to Rp 10 billion.
The investigations in both cases are still ongoing and Jero has not been detained. He could face up to 20 years in prison if he is found guilty.
On Monday, Jero also skipped his third summons for questioning from the KPK as he awaited for the court's ruling on his pretrial motion.
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