The Attorney General’s Office Exceeds Authority
Wednesday, 16 April, 2008 | 16:05 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The Attorney of General's Office (AGO) is considered exceeding its authority by putting a halt to the cases of Trisakti, Semanggi I and II . “The judge should make this statement,” said a member of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), Yoseph Adhi Prasetyo, at his office yesterday.

The AGO returned four sets of documentation about human rights violations to Komnas on April 1st. The four cases are Wamena-Wasior; Trisakti; Semanggi I and II; 1998 May Riot; and Mysterious Kidnappings. The AGO thought the investigation into Trisakti and the Semanggi cases cannot be continued due to incomplete information. The AGO returned the documentation and asked HAM to complete the information.

Yoseph criticized the AGO that has not investigated but already stated the Trisakti and Semanggi I and II as unable to be followed up for the reason of not being able to be convicted twice for the same crime.

The AGO’s Hendarman Supandji said the return of the documents does not go against the procedure. Two meetings were held before with Komnas Head Ifdhal Kasim on January 28th and February 28th. “They were submitted and should have no problem,” said Hendarman after attending the coordinating meeting for political and security issues at the office of Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs in Jakarta yesterday.

Hendarman said both parties agreed to return the documents. The investigation will be continued after the documents are completed. “The documents were sent directly to Komnas HAM,” he said. “As long as they are completed, AGO will receive them again.”

RINI KUSTIANI | TITIS SETYANINGTYAS