Democrats reveal law mafia at House

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s Democratic Party says its is investigating the operations of a cross-faction law mafia within House of Representatives’ Commission III on law affairs, saying it has interfered in major court cases.

Ruhut Sitompul, a Democratic Party legislator and member of the commission, revealed here on Friday that his party had collected several pieces of evidence indicating that the so-called law mafia had brokered several major cases.

“We are still compiling the evidence and waiting for an appropriate time to reveal it to the public,” he told The Jakarta Post.

He said the case brokering racket had built connections with law enforcers at the National Police, Attorney General’s Office and the courts to protect their bosses in the event they were brought to trial.

He cited that the law mafia had backed media mogul Harry Tanoesudibyo in his lawsuit with late former president Soeharto’s eldest daughter Siti Hardiyanti “Tutut” Rukmana in a case centered on MNC TV station.

“The law mafia has come to the Central Jakarta Court to protest its recent verdict returning the TV station’s ownership to Mbak Tutut,” he said, adding that the law mafia was standing behind Harry’s appeal to the Jakarta High Court.

Separately, Benny Kabur Harman, another Democratic Party legislator chairing the House’s commission, concurred, saying certain individual members in the commission had allegedly brokered court cases involving billions of rupiah.

“We will reveal the law mafia’s dealings to the public in the immediate future,” he said.