The Jakarta Post
The Jakarta Corruption Court has – for the first time ever – cleared a graft defendant of all charges in the trial of the former head of state-owned electricity company PLN, Sofyan Basir, dealing another blow to the embattled Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), which recently had its powers trimmed by a recent legal amendment. Sofyan remained tight-lipped as journalists swarmed him upon entering the court on Monday morning. As he sat down on a bench in the courtroom, he finally uttered a brief comment: “I just wish for the best. I hope they set me free.” And that came true. In an unexpected turn of events, the panel of five judges ruled in favor of Sofyan and cleared him of the accusation of playing a role in a bribery case related to a US$900 million project for a coal-fired power plant (PLTU) in Riau, known as the Riau-1 power plant project. "...