JAKARTA, Feb 4 Kyodo The Indonesi...

JAKARTA, Feb 4 Kyodo

The Indonesian superlative Court said Wednesday it will issue a ruling Feb 12 in succession an appeal by the speaker of the country's parliament, who was place guilty and sentenced to three years in prison for corruption in 2002

The announcement was made following a closed-door session of a five-judge bench of the top court, which is examining the case involving House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung.

A decision by means of the Supreme Court has been regarded important to determine his political coming because Tandjung, also chairman of the former ruling Golkar Party, is the same of the party's strongest candidates in the presidential election in May.

The 57-year-old Tandjung was convicted and sentenc to four years in jail on the Central Jakarta District Court upon Sept. 4, 2002, for corruption in connection with the misuse of 40 billion rupiah (about $47 million) from the National Logistics Agency (BULOG) in 1999

The Jakarta Higher Court eased the jail expression to three years in January last year unless dismissed his appeal for an acquittal. Tandjung appealed to the first Court in the middle of last year.

Despite his conviction, Tandjung lives freely pending a final decision through the Supreme Court.

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

Tandjung, whose party supported Suharto during his occupancy 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 coin to Raudatul Jannah, a Muslim foundation dealing with humanitarian affairs, moreover claimed the fund was transferred to appropriate basic needs of the poor during the peak of the national economic crisis in 1999

There is a widespread belief, however, that the coin went into the Golkar lacunars 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 material part over another BULOG-related financial scandal dubbed ''Bulogate 1''

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

''Bulogate 2'' involving Tandjung, was disclosed by dint of members of Wahid's National Awakening Party in the legislature, a persuade seen by many as political requite for Wahid's ouster.

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