Heru Andriyanto – New questions were being asked over the performance of prosecutors as the possibility that the mastermind behind the high-profile murder of rights activist Munir Said Thaib may never be identified began to sink in at the weekend.
The Supreme Court last week revelaed that it had thrown out an appeal against the acquittal of former top intelligence official Muchdi Purwoprandjono, who had been accused of ordering the September 2004 murder.
But the Attorney General's Office said on Sunday there was still a slim hope of challenging the ruling and getting Muchdi back in court. "We have to find new evidence before we can request a case review," said Abdul Hakim Ritonga, the AGO's deputy for general crimes.
"The AGO cannot make a move until it receives a copy of the Supreme Court ruling. We need to learn the legal reasons used by the judges to reject our appeal," Ritonga told the Jakarta Globe.
The ruling means that only three people – all former employees of state-run carrier Garuda Indonesia – have been found guilty of involvement in the murder, despite widespread belief that the intelligence agency was involved.
Prosecutors came under fire soon after a district court in Jakarta on Dec. 31, 2008, acquitted Muchdi of all charges in a verdict that sparked uproar among local and international rights groups.
The panel of judges said in their verdict that the prosecution had failed to prove any links between Muchdi, a retired Army general and former deputy head of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), and Pollycarpus Priyanto, a former pilot who was sentenced to 20 years in jail for carrying out the murder.
Nearly all the witnesses presented by the prosecution to testify against Muchdi either retracted earlier statements they had made to police or made statements that helped the defendant.
The Committee of Action and Solidarity for Munir (Kasum) has said that the prosecution's poor performance was a key factor in the acquittal of Muchdi.
The leading prosecutors in the case, Cyrrus Sinaga, the head of the prosecution team, and his deputy, Maju Ambarita, were appointed by the AGO on the basis of their work in prosecuting military officers for alleged human rights violations in Indonesia's former province East Timor.
However, the military personnel brought before a rights tribunal by the two prosecutors were ultimately acquitted of all charges in the East Timor case, the solidarity group said in the wake of Muchdi's acquittal.
But Ritonga dismissed allegations that his men were incompetent, saying the prosecutors had done all they could to convict Muchdi.
Choirul Anam, a member of Kasum, called on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to act on the case. "SBY pledged five years ago that he would bring those responsible for the murder to justice if he won the presidency, including the masterminds," Choirul said.
"By coincidence, the latest court ruling was issued [just before he won] the presidency for another five years. We call on the president to deliver on his promise by ordering the prosecutors and the police to find new evidence against Muchdi."