The Attorney General's Office (AGO) is being sued for failing to resolve the huge graft scandal related to the embezzled Bank Indonesia liquidity assistance (BLBI) funds.

The People for Anti-Corruption Indonesia (MAKI) filed a pretrial hearing lawsuit at the South Jakarta District Court on Thursday demanding the AGO reopen the probe into the BLBI cases of tycoons Sjamsul Nursalim and Anthony Salim.

"We believe the AGO's legal reasoning for stopping the BLBI investigation is flawed," MAKI chairman Buyamin Saiman told The Jakarta Post.

On February 29, 2008, the AGO dropped the cases of the two major BLBI debtors, claiming there was a lack of evidence to bring criminal charges against them.

Two days later, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) arrested Urip Tri Gunawan for allegedly taking a bribe in the sum of US$660,000 from Artalita Suryani, a businesswoman linked to Sjamsul.

Urip, currently being detained along with Artalita, was a leading prosecutor who dealt with Sjamsul's BLBI probe.

"Corruptors have to face criminal charges despite paying back their corruption funds. If a thief steals money, he still has to go to jail even if he/she returns that money," Buyamin said.

Sjamsul was said to have repaid his debt worth some Rp 28.4 trillion (US$3 million) disbursed under the BLBI scheme. However, he had to face a graft probe at the AGO after the value of assets he handed over to the state was found to equal less than the amount of his debt.

In a separate press conference, the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI) issued similar demands, but gave the AGO a month to reopen the BLBI investigations.

"If the AGO refuses to reopen the BLBI cases, we will take it to court," said PBHI director Syamsuddin Radjab.

He said he would coordinate with MAKI's lawyers to support the pretrial lawsuit against the AGO.

The BLBI scandal is estimated to have cost the state over Rp 600 trillion.

Syamsuddin also said the KPK should take over the BLBI investigations from the AGO, adding that Urip's arrest demonstrated the AGO could no longer be trusted to handle this issue.

"This is also an effort to support the KPK in taking over the BLBI cases. And not just Sjamsul's but all of those debtors," he said.

KPK chairman Antasari Azhar has said his office could take over the BLBI cases if a court revoked the AGO's cease investigation letter.

Attorney General Hendarman Supandji welcomed Antasari's statement.

"I would gladly have the court decide on the validity of the cease investigation letter. This is a good way to raise the public awareness about the status of the BLBI cases," Hendarman told the Post.

Buyamin said the pretrial hearing was expected to start in two weeks at the latest. (anw)

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