Romli acquitted, but AGO still aims for Yusril

The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) is still prosecuting former justice and human rights minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra for his involvement in the ministry’s project of online services for business registration, albeit claims made in the recent vindication of another suspect, Romli Atmasasmita, would ease his case.

Junior Attorney General for Special Crimes Muhammad Amari said on Thursday that the recent verdict of the Supreme Court to release Romli, the former director general for legal administration who initiated the project, did not necessarily mean that Yusril would also walk free.

“Every suspect had his individual role in this case and some have been convicted by the Supreme Court,” he told Antara on Thursday, referring to Syamsuddin Manan Sinaga, Romli’s succeeding official, and Yohanes Waworuntu, the company director of PT Sarana Rekatama Dinamika (SRD).

Both received convictions.

The online registration system, also known as Sisminbakum, was established in 2001 and ran under a partnership between the ministry and SRD, the private company who operated the system.

A contract between the ministry and SRD stipulated that 90 percent of the profit from the online system’s services would go to SRD, with the ministry receiving the rest.

Two years after its inception, the Supreme Audit Agency declared the ministry’s income from the system illegal since it was not listed as non-tax state income.

The AGO revealed that the company had cost the state Rp 420 billion (US$46.6 million) while prosecuting its top officials as well all other relevant officials at the ministry.

The Supreme Court released Romli from charges on Tuesday despite the fact that he was sentenced to one year of imprisonment in the previous trial.

The court said that Romli was not guilty because he did not take money from the dubious state income.

The court, however, rejected the appeal of his successor, Syamsuddin, saying that he is guilty for taking Rp 344 million and US$13,000 from the system’s income, which is considered part of the ministry’s cash flow. Syamsuddin must serve one year in prison.

The Court upheld the verdict for Yohanes in August, as he had been found guilty of taking Rp 378 billion from the system’s revenue. He received a five-year sentence, and was ordered to pay Rp 200 million in fines.

The Court’s ruling on Romli made Yusril, who was then the top official at the ministry, optimistic of his chances to be acquitted of the allegation of his involvement in
the case.

“The political motives behind the case have been clear, since the Supreme Court declared that the Sisminbakum did not incur any financial loss on the state,” Yusril said on Wednesday.

Earlier, Yusril has been adamant in saying repeatedly that government projects are allowed to receive private funding and that there was no law stipulating that the entire revenue from the website must go to state treasury. (ipa)