"We welcomes the Australian High Court`s decision and will soon execute the verdict of the Indonesian court on the convict," Attorney Genera Basrief Arief said.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Australian High Court has agreed to extradite Indonesian corruption convict Adrian Kiki Ariawan, Attorney General Basrief Arief has said.

"We welcomes the Australian High Courts decision and will soon execute the verdict of the Indonesian court on the convict," Basrief Arief said here on Thursday.

Australian High Court decision came after three years the Indonesian government sought Adrians extradition through protracted legal proceedings.

A Jakarta district court sentenced Adrian to life imprisonment in 2002 for embezzling Bank Indonesia Liquidity Aid (BLBI) credit in the wake of the regional monetary crisis in 1997/1998.

Basrief Arief said the Australian government wants to hand over Kiki to the Indonesian authorities in the Perth International Airport not later than February 16, 2014, based on an extradition agreement between the two countries.

Minister for Justice and Human Right Amir Syamsudin said he appreciated the decision of the Australia high court, adding the decision is important for law enforcement in Indonesia.

The extradition is important as it serves as a deterrent to others from committing corruption and conveys a message that no place is safe for corruption convicts.

Andrian Kiki Iriawan, the director of the defunct Bank Surya and Bambang Sutrisno , a deputy director of the bank were both sentenced to life imprisonment by the Central Jakarta district court in 2002.

Andrian appealed the verdict, but before Jakarta High Court made its decision, he fled the country.

In June 2003 the Jakarta High Court finally tried him in absentia and confirmed the sentence slapped earlier by the Central district court.

In 2010, the Indonesian government asked for his extradition from the Australian government after finding out that Adrian lived in Perth , Western Australia.

In June 2012 , the Attorney General office also succeeded in bringing home another BLBI corruption convict Sherny Kojongian from the United States to serve his jail term in the country.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2013