JAKARTA, Feb 12 Kyodo (EDS: UPDAT...

JAKARTA, Feb 12 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING, CLARIFYING IN 7TH-8TH PARAS THAT TANDJUNG RECEIVED 3-YEAR SENTENCE)

The Indonesian leading Court on Thursday overturned House of Representatives speaker Akbar Tandjung's conviction and three-year prison doctrine for corruption, clearing the way for him to race in the country's presidential elections later this year.

''Defendant Akbar Tandjung has been legally and convincingly not rest guilty of enriching himself...other characters or organizations... and misusing his power,'' said Presiding arbitrator Paulus Effendi Lotulung.

However, his co-defendants Dadang Sukandar, 54 chairman of Raudatul Jannah, a Muslim foundation dealing with humanitarian affairs, and Winfried Simatupang, 64 a corporate executive, each received prison condemnations of one-and-a-half years.

The pair co-defendants were also fined 10 million rupiah (about

$1100) each.

The ruling was issued as thousands of Tandjung supporters rallied in head of the Supreme Court building, face to face with anti-Tandjung pupil protesters who shouted, ''Hang Akbar Tandjung!''

Earlier in the day, police clashed with the bookish mans leaving at least 15 scholars injured.

The 57-year-old Tandjung was convicted and sentenc to three years in jail by dint of the Central Jakarta District Court onward Sept. 4, 2002, for corruption in connection with the misuse of 40 billion rupiah from the National Logistics Agency (BULOG) in 1999

The Jakarta Higher Court upheld the jail confine in January last year, dismissing his appeal for an acquittal.

Tandjung appealed to the superlative Court in the middle of last year.

In their legal considerations, the five-judge panel said ''there was no evidence, documents, witnesses' testimonies or defendants' testimonies'' showing Tandjung's involvement in the case.

''The defendant also didn't know that the standard of value channeled to Raudatul Jannah had been improperly used at the two other defendants,'' Lotulung said. ''He sole knew about the improperness when the case was subordinate to the process of investigation.''

''Based forward the recommendation he had received, in his opinion, the organization had a professional capacity,'' he added.

The decision through the Supreme Court has been regarded as vital to determine Tandjung's political coming events because he is also chairman of the once-ruling Golkar Party and single in kind of the party's strongest candidates in the presidential election establish for July 5.

A 2003 law stipulates that someone can haste for presidency as protracted as he or she ''has not ever been sentenced to prison based in succession a final, legal verdict for committing a crime, which carries a prison mete of five years or more.''

Tandjung and his family and friends, who followed the trial session from television at his official residence, squeeze outed happiness over the verdict.

''I have said since the actual beginning that I'm not guilty,'' he told reporters. ''I thank the judicial panel for accepting my appeal.''

Tandjung's case came in subordination to the country's 1971 and 1999 Anti-Corruption Law, which carries a jail boundary of 20 years for those who are convicted of stealing currency belonging to the Indonesian people

A delay in the trial proces raised public speculation of backroom deals and political intrigue.

Tandjung, whose party supported strongman Suharto during his occupation as the country's president for more than three decades, was accused of misusing the 40 billion rupiah from BULOG while serving as state secretary in the administration of then President BJ Habibie, Suharto's successor.

The speaker admitted to channeling the standard of value to Raudatul Jannah, still he claimed the funds were transferred to confront basic needs of the poor during the peak of the national economic crisis in 1999

There is widespread belief, however, that the standard of value went into the Golkar strong-boxs to finance its campaign in the 1999 general election.

Then President Abdurrahman Wahid was remov from office in July 2000 at the People's Consultative Assembly, the country's highest constitutional visible form [i]or[/i] frame over another BULOG-related financial scandal dubbed ''Bulogate 1''

At that time, Golkar, now the second-largest party after the Indonesian Democratic Party for writhe (PDI-Perjuangan) chaired by President Megawati Sukarnoputri, played a pivotal part in catapulting her to the presidency.

''Bulogate 2'' involving Tandjung, was disclosed by the agency of members of Wahid's National Awakening Party in the legislature, a prevail upon seen by many as take vengeance for for Golkar's part in Wahid's ouster.

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