Syofiardi Bachyul Jb, Padang – A West Sumatra independent corruption watch body said it was suspicious of the recent release of 10 former legislative members from all corruption charges.
West Sumatra Awareness Forum coordinator Zenwen Pador said he became suspicious when the Supreme Court decided to release 10 former members of West Sumatra Legislative Council serving 1999-2004 terms for corruption charges related to the embezzlement of the 2002 provincial budget.
The decision was in contrast with the Supreme Court's appeal decision which found the other 33 former council members guilty.
"My suspicion is that after making the decision to release the 10 former council members, the Supreme Court will let the other 33 former council members tried free too," Zenwen said. "They have just been waiting for the court's decision on their case review."
He said if released the graft convicts would appear heroic "like in a television series... where the leading actors have to first suffer before living happily ever after".
Zenwen said the graft case had developed from the outset "in a suspicious way". The Supreme Court's verdict over the appeal, he said, was made three years after it was first proposed. But the decision on the 10 convicts was made two years after the other 33 graft convicts received theirs.
The 33 graft convicts were waiting for the Supreme Court to deliver a verdict on their case review. The 33 convicts have not been placed behind bars because the prosecutor's office said it was determined to wait for the Supreme Court's verdict on the review.
Zenwen's awareness forum and its activists consistently report graft cases to the prosecutor's office and often serve as witnesses during court proceedings.
The forum's efforts have triggered investigations into corruption cases within legislative councils. They said the Supreme Court's latest decision has made them worried.
"Before, West Sumatra has rolled the ball to fight against corruption," Zenwen said. "But the ball has hit a huge bureaucracy wall at the court, which is full of interventions and intrigues."
Zenwen said he has demanded the prosecutors' office immediately propose a case review of the Supreme Court's decision by presenting new evidence.
He also wants the office to immediately put the 33 former council members, who have been found guilty, into jail.
"If the prosecutors' office does not immediately put them behind jail, it will show the office is part of the black scenario in this country's fight against corruption," he said.
Head of Padang prosecutors' office Zulbahri Munir said he had read of the release but had not received a copy of the Supreme Court's decision.
"We cannot make any decision (yet)... but we'll be very open in handling this case," he said.
When asked about the awareness forum's statement, he said it was only an opinion and his office would wait for a copy of the verdict.
Legal observer Saldi Isra from Andalas University asked the prosecutors' office to review the Supreme Court's decision.
However, he criticized the prosecutors' office for having no desire to finish the case.
"The prosecutors keep postponing things, including any detention of the 33 convicts," Saldi said. "If they had been detained early on, it might be a different case."