Jakarta – Two more top prosecutors from the Attorney General's Office (AGO) admitted to connections with businesswoman Artalyta Suryani during her bribery trial at the Corruption Court here Monday.

Djoko Widodo, a former official at the AGO's Special Crimes Division and current head of the East Jakarta Prosecutor's Office, and Muhammad Salim, the AGO's former director of investigations of special crimes, told the court they knew the defendant and had communicated with her.

Djoko testified Artalyta had called him on March 2, a few hours before her arrest by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) for giving a US$660,000 and Rp 100 million (US$10,810) bribe to state prosecutor Urip Tri Gunawan. KPK officers had arrested Urip outside her house earlier that day.

"Artalyta told me in a phone call Urip had been arrested and the KPK investigators were going to arrest her. She asked me to intervene and prevent the arrest," Djoko said.

He said he told Artalyta to be careful because she was under surveillance by the KPK and her telephone conversations were being taped, and he would call her back. Djoko later joined a team of 11 other AGO officials who went to Artalyta's house to arrest her.

"When we got there, there were already KPK investigators in front of the house. We stopped on a quiet corner near her house to decide what to do," Djoko said.

However, Chandra Hamzah, the KPK's deputy chairman for prosecution, said last week no other agency was involved in Artalyta's arrest and the KPK had never agreed to the AGO's arrest plan.

Muhammad Salim testified the arrest had been ordered by the AGO's deputy for intelligence, Wisnu Subroto, who had told him the Attorney General had approved the plan.

When questioned by Judge Andi Bachtiar if he was aware the arrest plan was a violation of Law No. 30/2002 on KPK – which forbids the police and the prosecutor's office from intervening in any KPK investigation – Salim said he was only following orders.

Both Djoko and Salim admitted meeting Artalyta at the AGO's special crimes building. Salim said the businesswoman had approached him between late 2007 and early 2008 to tell him Sjamsul, Artalyta's boss and the target of an ongoing KPK investigation, was sick and would not be able to attend the AGO's questioning session.

"I later received a letter from Sjamsul's lawyer Maqdir Ismail," said Salim, who said Maqdir was an acquaintance of his.

Sjamsul remains the only one of 37 witnesses yet to be questioned in the case. Salim said he had never questioned Urip about Sjamsul's perpetual absence.

Presiding Judge Mansyurdin Chaniago adjourned the trial to Wednesday to hear from more witnesses, including Kemas Yahya Rahman, the former deputy attorney general for special crimes. (dre)