Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Attorney General`s Office (AGO) said there was quite strong evidence against antigraft official Chandra M Hamzah but this was not shown in his police dossier.

"The evidence is strong but it has yet to be shown in the police dossier," AGO spokesman Didiek Darmanto said here on Friday.

Antigraft officials Chandra M Hamzah and also Bibit Samad Rianto have been charged by the police based on Criminal Code articles on extortion and power abuse.

The Team of Eight set up by the President to verify the legal facts and processes in Bibit-Chandra case however had recommended discontinuing it because it was not supported by strong evidence.

Darmanto said that a case could only be closed if it met the requirements for it such as lack of evidence, no crime had really been committed or for the sake of justice.

"The fact is that the evidence against the suspect is strong. A case can only be closed for the sake of justice if it is already overdue or the suspect has died," he said.

Meanwhile, with regard to closure of a case in the public interest, Didiek said that what the public interest was could be a subject of endless debate.

"Who is the one responsible to determine it. No institution has been established to do it.

The attorney general has also asked about who is meant by the public. Should it be determined by a Supreme Court ruling or polling results. So, no definition has been made with regard to the phrase `public interest`," he said.

Theredore, Didiek said, the President had given the attorney general and the national police until Saturday to study the recommendations of the Team of 8.

Many quarters have called for closing the Bibit-Chandra case because they considered it as being based on fabricated charges. (*)