President has no right to pardon Soeharto: cabinet secretary

"If there is a decision from a court, then the President can exercise his right with due consideration of the opinion of the Supreme Court," he said.
He said Soeharto`s legal case was at present still in an uncertain phase while the government was adhering to the presumption of innocence principle.
It would be inappropriate for the President to exercise his right without following the existing rules, he said.
Meanwhile, Andi Mallarangeng said the legal system in Indonesia was different from that in the United States which recognized the concept of pardon.
Citing an example, he said when US President Gerald Ford succeeded Richard Nixon who was forced to step down, Ford granted a pardon to Nixon so that Nixon was completely absolved from all the indirect and direct mistakes he was charged with in court.
"In Indonesia, the president has no such overriding authority. Here the president can grant amnesty, clemency, abolition, and rehabilitation only in accordance with