The prosecutor\'s office not only waited for Joko\'s scheduled appearance for his case review at the South Jakarta District Court but also tracked down places that could be his hiding spot.
By
KOMPAS TEAM
·4 minutes read
Kompas
Joko Tjandra
JAKARTA, KOMPAS -- Attorney General Sanitiar Burhanuddin has promised to capture the convict in the Bank Bali corruption case, Joko Tjandra, who has been on the run since 2009, wherever he is. The prosecutor\'s office not only waited for Joko\'s scheduled appearance for his case review at the South Jakarta District Court but also tracked down places that could be his hiding spot.
"Joko Tjandra was already convicted but his execution was delayed. So, the prosecutor\'s office will execute immediately wherever [he may be] arrested, other than waiting [ for him] at his case review trial. I have the support to capture and execute him. I hope it can be conducted soon and there are no obstacles," Burhanuddin told Kompas at his office in Jakarta, Thursday (02/07/2020).
Joko fled Indonesia on the night of 10 June 2009, one day before the Supreme Court sentenced him to two years in prison on 11 June 2009. According to his lawyer, Joko Tjandra went to the South Jakarta District Court on 8 June 2020 to register a review (PK) of his case. At the first court hearing on 29 June, he did not show up citing illness. The trial will resume on 6 July.
Commenting on the case review trial, Burhanuddin said, because Joko had been convicted, even though he claimed to be sick, there was no reason for the court to proceed with a court hearing without the presence of the convict, let alone only through a video conference. It was considered contrary to the law and sense of justice.
Burhanuddin said Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Minister Mahfud MD had called him and ordered him to immediately arrest Joko wherever he was.
Separately, Mahfud said, there was no reason for people who had the right for a case review to be left free to roam. Moreover, Joko is a fugitive who is included on Interpol’s list of fugitives. In addition, citing prevailing the laws and regulations, Mahfud stated that people who apply for a case review must be present in person at the court. Otherwise, the case review cannot proceed. Mahfud asked the police and prosecutors to arrest Joko during the case review.
"There is no suspension of court ruling for people who have applied for PK [case review]. He must be punished according to a court decision that is inkracht [final and binding] for the sake of legal certainty and commitment to fighting corruption," he said.
The review session or PK Joko Soegiarto Tjandra in the PT Bank Bali cessie case, at the South Jakarta District Court, Monday (29/6/2020).
Chairman of House of Representatives Commission III, Herman Hery, said the longer it took for authorities to arrest Joko Tjandra, the more the country would look foolish. "If a fugitive cannot be captured, the country is a disgrace. Let the people make judgment because they already understand how the state institutions work. The authorities can catch many terrorists. How come they cannot arrest a [graft] fugitive? Is it because the name of the graft fugitive is Joko Tjandra?" said Herman.
No longer ‘red notice’
Citing information from Interpol, Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Hamonangan Laoly said Joko had not been in Interpol’s red notice since 2014. “[That means] if he [Joko] legally returns to Indonesia, we cannot bar him," said Yasonna.
Yasonna added that his side was forming a team along with the Attorney General\'s Office. He claimed his office had checked all information about the movement of people. However, there was no information mentioning the name Joko Tjandra.
Meanwhile, when asked about the absence of Joko\'s name in Interpol’s red notice, the Junior Attorney General for Special Crimes Ali Mukartono said he was not aware of it. He said such issue should be asked to the National Police.
Separately, National Police International Relations Division head Insp. Gen. Napoleon Bonaparte, did not respond to Kompas\' questions through text message late on Thursday.
Ali Mukartono said that although Joko Tjandra\'s whereabouts in Indonesia were not yet known, he had ordered the execution team to monitor the places that were suspected of being Joko Tjandra\'s hiding spot. In addition, it will ask for help from the National Police or Interpol.
The head of the Public Relations Division of the National Police, Insp. Gen. Raden Prabowo Argo Yuwono, said that his party had not yet received a request for assistance from the AGO to hunt down Joko Tjandra.
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