Advisor denies charges against Soeharto<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Yohanes Yacob, an advisor hired by Soeharto to
\ndefend his interests, said allegations that the former president
\nand his family had illegally amassed trillions of rupiah were
\nuntrue.<\/p>\n
Yohanes, who heads the so-called Cendana Consulting Team, said
\nSoeharto only had limited savings in local banks and no overseas
\nholdings.<\/p>\n
He said that after being accepted as a consultant he
\nimmediately asked Soeharto whether reports of his enormous wealth
\nwere true.<\/p>\n
"He told me that the money comes from his salary as a retired
\nofficer in the Armed Forces and president for 32 years," Yohanes
\nsaid during an interview with TVRI.<\/p>\n
Yohanes said the money was savings Soeharto had intended to
\nuse as an "old-age retirement fund". He did not say exactly how
\nmuch or in which banks the money was deposited.<\/p>\n
Yohanes, however, said Soeharto was willing to surrender his
\ndeposits for people's welfare if the public considered them to be
\nexcessive.<\/p>\n
Yohanes also said that Soeharto was delaying his intention to
\nexplain publicly about his alleged accumulation of wealth as he
\nwanted to respect the Attorney General's Office investigation
\ninto alleged corruption under his leadership.<\/p>\n
"Soeharto is actually longing to explain the matter but he
\ndecided to give the Attorney General's Office a chance to
\ncomplete its investigation first," Yohanes claimed, adding that
\nthe 77-year-old former president remained steadfast amid the
\nenormous public onslaught regarding his wealth.<\/p>\n
Yohanes revealed that he had been working at Soeharto's
\nresidence on Jl. Cendana for the few past days, hence the name
\nCendana Consulting Team.<\/p>\n
His name shot to fame over the weekend when it was revealed
\nthat he was leading a team of consultants advising Soeharto on
\nhis interests.<\/p>\n
He did not reveal the makeup of his team, saying only that he
\nhad divided the team into several divisions, including legal,
\neconomic and political.<\/p>\n
Yohanes is an almost unknown in prominent legal circles. Many
\ncontinue to raise eyebrows that Soeharto would choose someone so
\nobscure without even a law degree to lead his team of advisors
\nwhich may soon face a barrage of legal issues concerning
\nSoeharto's wealth.<\/p>\n
Former attorney general Soedjono C. Atmonegoro revealed last
\nweek that Yohanes had presented letters on his power of attorney
\nto represent Soeharto.<\/p>\n
Yohanes is a graduate of Pacific Western University in Los
\nAngeles, United States, with a doctorate in political science.<\/p>\n
He is currently chairman of an organization called
\nYayasan\/Lembaga Perlindungan Budaya Hukum Nasional "Keadilan
\nSosial Indonesia" (Foundation for the Protection of National
\nCulture and Law "Indonesian Social Justice") which has its office
\nin Tebet, South Jakarta. (byg)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/advisor-denies-charges-against-soeharto-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}