Even though Bali Nine Australians Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran are no longer with us following their executions on April 29, alleged scandal surrounding their cases is still being explored.
The big allegation is that judges who sentenced the Bali Nine pair to death demanded over $130,000 in exchange for a prison term of less than 20 years. This claim was reportedly made by Muhammad Rifan, a former lawyer of the two executed Australians.
Now the Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that the Indonesian judicial commission investigating this controversial claim will meet in Bali this week, June 3-4, with a lawyer who had also represented the Bali Nine pair, Peter Johnson.
They also hope to interview Rifan, but have been getting more push back from him.
Rifan has reportedly refused to testify before the judicial commission, saying there’s no point since Chan and Sukumaran are already dead.
But commissioner Imam Anshori Saleh insists what’s at stake in this case goes beyond the lives of the two Australians.
“I think the case is still necessary to be investigated because it is about law enforcement and ethics concerning the judges,” he said, as quoted by the Sydney Morning Herald.
“This case is not dealing with the two guys who are dead now, it is necessary because it’s concerning the panel of judges who are still alive.”
Saleh added that he could compel Rifan to come before the commission, but the urgency was not yet there.
“If everything goes well this case can be settled within one month,” he added.
Photo by AFP
