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Bob Hasan's graft trial begins on Sept. 20
City News - September 12, 2000
JAKARTA (JP): The multimillion dollar graft trial against timber
tycoon and former president Soeharto's golfing buddy, Muhamad "Bob"
Hasan, will begin on Wednesday next week at the Central Jakarta
District Court, an official said on Monday.
"The panel of judges will comprise judges Poerwanto and Ali Akmal Haqy
as members and myself as the presiding judge. The over 5000-page
dossier of the defendant and a 52-page indictment were handed over by
prosecutors on Friday evening," head of the Central Jakarta District
Court, Subardi, told The Jakarta Post.
"Hasan officially became a defendant when he was put under the court's
custody on Friday."
The graft has allegedly caused US$75.62 million in state losses and
$168 million in losses to the Indonesian Forest Concessionaires
Association.
The defendant's dossier stated that the primary charge against the
defendant was the violation of Paragraph 1a of Article 1 of the 1971
Anti- corruption Law, for enriching himself at the state's expense.
The article carries a maximum punishment of life imprisonment, with or
without a Rp 30 million fine.
Coincidentally, the primary charges against Hasan and Soeharto are the
same.
Subardi added that as it would be for the Soeharto trial, the trial of
Bob Hasan would also be held under "very strict security" at the
Central Jakarta District Court, where seats for the public would be
limited and the press would have to register themselves at the court
for special ID cards to cover the trial.
"The date for registration has not been set... it should be a few days
before the initial hearing," Subardi said.
Hasan, who briefly served as the minister of industry and trade under
former president Soeharto, had been detained at the Attorney General's
Office since March 28 when he was named a suspect in the graft case.
The case centers on a government project to map Indonesia's forests.
The project was awarded to Hasan's company, PT Mapindo Parama. (ylt)
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