T

he Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has fiercely condemned the Jakarta Corruption Court'€™s decision on Thursday to issue a second postponement of a trial hearing of bribery suspect and senior advocate OC Kaligis, a pro-government NasDem Party politician.

On Thursday, the panel of judges at the court, which delayed the hearing a first time last Thursday after the 73-year-old failed to turn up to the court, approved Kaligis'€™ request to see a doctor for what the defendant has said is a '€œserious illness'€, adjourning the hearing until Thursday next week.

'€œThe panel of judges allows the defendant to see Doctor Terawan [Kaligis'€™ personal doctor] at Gatot Subroto Army Hospital,'€ presiding judge Sumoeno said.

The panel of judges at the court also agreed with Kaligis'€™ claims that he had the right to postpone Thursday'€™s trial because he had yet to receive an indictment document from KPK prosecutors, a document that should be issued to a defendant at least one week before a trial starts. He also claimed not yet to have appointed official legal representation.

However, since the case began, a number of lawyers have made statements on Kaligis'€™ behalf at KPK headquarters, and he had a team of lawyers defending him during his failed pretrial hearing last week.

The KPK arrested Kaligis in July for allegedly masterminding the bribing of three Medan State Administrative Court (PTUN) judges, just days after catching red-handed his aide Yagari '€œGerry'€ Bhastara paying bribes to judges Tripeni Irianto Putro, the head of the Medan PTUN, Amir Fauzi and Dermawan Ginting in return for a favorable ruling the court issued in June for Kaligis'€™ client.

KPK prosecutor Yudi Kristiana said that Thursday'€™s hearing should have gone ahead because based on a second opinion the KPK received from the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI), Kaligis was fit enough to face Thursday'€™s hearing.

'€œThe team concluded that [Kaligis] was able to face the hearing. However, today he asked the panel of judges to see [his personal] doctor, and the request was approved by the panel of judges. What can we do? We respect the judges'€™ decision,'€ Yudi told reporters after Thursday'€™s hearing.

Asked whether Kaligis was deliberately stymying the legal process, Yudi said: '€œI'€™ll let you be the judge of that.'€

Yudi also lambasted Kaligis, who is known for giving legal assistance to celebrities, for claiming that KPK prosecutors had failed to issue an indictment notice.

'€œAs I said during today'€™s hearing, I have told the panel of judges that the defendant refused to accept the indictment document. We have issued a letter confirming that he rejected the document. We have given the rejection letter to his lawyers, but he still did not want to accept it,'€ Yudi added.

'€œKaligis is fully aware of legal procedures, and he should comply with them properly.'€

The Jakarta Corruption Court has rescheduled Kaligis'€™ hearing on August 31 to hear KPK prosecutors'€™ indictment on his bribery case.

Yudi further said that the IDI team assessment only found that Kaligis had hypertension and diabetic problems but such illness medically did not prevent him to face his trial hearing.