Gazalba Saleh Asks For Accounts Blocked By The KPK To Be Opened For Children's Lecture Fees

Former Supreme Court Justice Gazalba Saleh while attending the trial at the Jakarta Corruption Court, Monday (8/7/2024). ANTARA/Agatha Olivia Victoria

JAKARTA - Former Supreme Court Justice Gazalba Saleh asked that his accounts, wives, and children blocked since the investigation could be opened to pay the tuition fees for children who want to enter university. Gazalba Saleh's legal adviser, Aldres Napitupulu, said that his client's and family's accounts had been blocked so far, but their contents had never been confiscated as evidence so far. "We ask the Panel of Judges to be opened considering that there are children who want to enter university," Aldres said during a trial at the Jakarta Corruption Court (Tipikor), as reported by Antara, Monday, July 8. Responding to the statement, the Public Prosecutor of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) explained that blocking the defendant's account was not included in the list of confiscated evidences, because blocking with confiscation in court were two different things. For this reason, Chief Judge Fahzal Hendri said that this matter would be discussed further in the trial because it had entered the subject matter of the case. The next trial is scheduled for witness examination on Monday, July 15. The prosecutor plans to present approximately 20 witnesses in the examination trial, so the Panel of Judges decides to schedule a trial for witness examinations twice a week. In this case, Gazalba was charged with receiving gratuities and committing money laundering (TPPU) with a total value of Rp. 25.9 billion related to the handling of cases in the Supreme Court. The alleged receipt includes gratuities worth 18,000 Singapore dollars (Rp200 million) and other receipts in the form of 1.128 million Singapore dollars (Rp13.37 billion), 181,100 US dollars (Rp2.9 billion), and Rp9.43 billion during the 2020-2022 period. On the gratuity charges, Gazalba is threatened with criminal in Article 12 B in conjunction with Article 18 of Law (UU) Number 31 of 1999 concerning the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption as amended by Law Number 20 of 2001 in conjunction with Article 55 paragraph (1) 1st of the Criminal Code.

Meanwhile, on the TPPU indictment, Gazalba was threatened with criminal charges Article 3 of Law Number 8 of 2010 concerning the Prevention and Eradication of the Crime of Money Laundering jo. Article 55 paragraph (1) 1st of the Criminal Code jo. Article 65 paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code.