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KPK skips former Makassar mayor's pretrial hearing
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) failed to show up to a pretrial hearing requested by former Makassar mayor Ilham Arief Sirajuddin to contest the fact that he was named a graft suspect in the South Jakarta District Court on Thursday
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he Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) failed to show up to a pretrial hearing requested by former Makassar mayor Ilham Arief Sirajuddin to contest the fact that he was named a graft suspect in the South Jakarta District Court on Thursday.
'The KPK is not present in today's session. Because this is the first session, we will summons it again. The session will be postponed until Wednesday, July 1,' said the court's lone judge Amat Khusaeri as quoted by Antara on Thursday.
Ilham's lawyer, Johnson Panjaitan, said he was very disappointed with the absence of the KPK without any clear reason.
'Today, the KPK failed to show up although it had received an official invitation letter to attend the session,' he said.
In his second pretrial hearing request, Ilham questioned the KPK's decision to name him a graft suspect again by issuing a new investigation order letter, or Sprindik, dated June 5.
According to Johnson, the antigraft body's decision is questionable because it has not yet implemented the South Jakarta District Court's pretrial hearing decision issued on May 12. In its decision, the court annulled Ilham's status as a suspect in an alleged corruption case surrounding transfers and a management rehabilitation partnership for the Makassar tap water company (PDAM) for the budget year 2006-2012.
Ilham's lawyer claimed KPK's new Sprindik was based on old documents that had been cancelled in the court's pretrial hearing decision.
'The KPK has not yet carried out the court's pretrial hearing decision but it has issued a new Sprindik. On what basis did the commission issue the new Sprindik? Is it based on the old investigation that has been annulled by the court or based on a new investigation?' said Johnson.
The lawyer said he believed that KPK investigators had violated their authorities because they issued a Sprindik without first issuing a pre-investigation order letter or Sprinlidik.
'If the KPK wants to issue a new Sprindik, it has to first issue a Sprinlidik. The court's ruling on our client's pretrial hearing request was in May and after that, the KPK has never issued another Sprinlidik since the case was first investigated in 2012,' said Johnson. (ebf)(+++)
