Yusril Ihza Mahendra: The investigation must be objective

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Dahlan Iskan pulled a disappearing act recently and was unable to be contacted by the media, right after his indictment in the graft case involving the state-run power company PLN's 21 relay stations in Java, Bali and Nusa Tenggara provinces. Dahlan, who was PLN CEO at the time, chose to respond to reporters' questions via his personal website, gardudahlan.com, which he launched last April. Through the site, he also announced the appointment of Yusril Ihza Mahendra to represent him as his attorney. The following are Yusril's responses to questions asked by Tempo reporter Istman Musaharun, last week.

What special strategy is being prepared for Dahlan's legal defense?

The legal team is studying all the documents submitted by Pak Dahlan Iskan. We are also looking at the legal aspects of the charges against him. Everyone must honor the principle of innocence before being found guilty. Pak Dahlan's rights as a citizen, even though he is now under indictment, must be guaranteed and protected.

Is it true he is charged with misusing procedures because he signed a contract before the land in question was cleared?

What's important for us is that the investigation be carried out objectively and uses the proper legal framework. We will present our arguments and evidence to be considered by the investigators so that we can jointly assess whether there is enough legal reason to continue with the investigation or drop it. Everything must be done right and fair, free from any non-legal factors.

Besides the relay stations case, is Dahlan being investigated on other cases, such as the electric car and converting forest land to paddy fields?

We must study carefully everything. If it's true there were procedural violations, we must determine whether they were administrative or criminal. In practice, some administrative violations these days become criminal cases. This is not good for the law enforcers in a country ruled by law.

Do you see this as an effort to attack Dahlan Iskan?

It might well be. But as a lawyer, I must focus on the legal case at hand. If later, there are non-legal factors which play a role in this, sooner or later they will be exposed. Usually, if a case has a political background, it would be difficult for the investigators to gather evidence and come up with a legal argument to reinforce their findings. Ultimately, the investigation results become inconclusive. (*)