That's a nice pen. Could I have it as a keepsake?" There is nothing special about this romantic request, but it is important in this case because the owner of the pen is Maria Leonita Sri Chandraharumi, a lawyer, and the person asking for the pen is Zainal Agus, a member of staff at the Supreme Court. The pen itself is not cheap: made by Mont Blanc from pure gold, it costs Rp1.5 million.

On that day, September 1 1999, Maria was registering a jud