Attorney general continues transport ministry probe<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Attorney General Singgih said his office is
\nstill investigating the financial misdeeds reported to have
\noccurred at the Ministry of Transportation.<\/p>\n
Although the government cleared Minister of Transportation
\nHaryanto Dhanutirto of corruption charges on Tuesday, the
\nAttorney General office continues its investigation into alleged
\nirregularities at the ministry.<\/p>\n
\"We are continuing. We're now examining the reports of
\nirregularities from the Development and Finance Control Board,\"
\nSinggih told reporters before a plenary cabinet meeting
\nyesterday.<\/p>\n
Quoting Article 44 of the Presidential Decree on the function
\nof the control board, Singgih said that if the board finds
\nindications of criminal acts during its examination of state
\ninstitutions' budgets, it has to report them to the Attorney
\nGeneral's Office.<\/p>\n
\"If there are suspicions of criminal acts, there should
\ncertainly be a process to prove them,\" he said. He said this
\napplies to any irregularities reported at any state institution.<\/p>\n
Earlier this week, President Soeharto declared the case closed
\non allegations of misappropriation of funds leveled at Minister
\nof Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto.<\/p>\n
Minister\/State Secretary Moerdiono announced on Tuesday that
\nan investigation into the allegations found that \"administrative
\nmistakes\".<\/p>\n
Moerdiono said there was no evidence that Haryanto has misused
\nfunds belonging to state enterprises. However, the minister has
\nbeen required to reimburse the state for funds used to pay for
\nhis family's overseas trips.<\/p>\n
The charges came to the surface when reports by Inspector
\nGeneral of Development Kentot Harseno to President Soeharto
\nalleging irregularities at the Ministry of Transportation were
\nleaked to the press and the public.<\/p>\n
Closed<\/p>\n
\"That's another question entirely,\" Singgih said when
\nreporters asked him for comments on President Soeharto's
\ndecision, and whether Haryanto's case could be considered a
\ncriminal one. \"The case is considered closed, so it's closed.\"<\/p>\n
Singgih said that Minister\/State Secretary Moerdiono is still
\ninvestigating how the classified documents were leaked.<\/p>\n
In a related event, a group of Moslem students demonstrated
\nyesterday outside of the Attorney General's Office, calling for
\nan investigation into Kentot Harseno in relation to the leakage
\nof state documents.<\/p>\n
Some 20 placard-waving members of the Communication Forum for
\nJakarta Moslem Students also demanded that the Attorney General
\ntotally clear the name of Minister of Transportation Haryanto
\nDhanutirto.<\/p>\n
\"Bring the slanderer to court!\" said one of the placards. The
\nyouths also unfurled banners, including one which quoted a
\nKoranic verse that says \"Truth has arrived and Falsehood
\nperished\".<\/p>\n
\"We have data that convince us that Haryanto is clean and that
\nthe reports by Kentot on his alleged financial misdeeds were
\nabsolutely unfounded,\" Ridwan Saleh, one of the protesters, told
\nThe Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Three of the students, Wakil Kamal, Arif Jatnika and Ahmad
\nDayan Lubis, met with Gatot Hendarto of the Attorney General's
\nOffice to state their demands.<\/p>\n
Many observers have said the case should not be considered
\nclosed, with some calling for the matter to be cleared up in a
\ncourt of law given the strong media publicity this affair has
\ngenerated.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), for instance,
\nquestioned how the investigation found irregularities, including
\nin the way Haryanto's office awarded government contracts, yet
\nreached a conclusion that cleared the minister of all charges.<\/p>\n
The Institute for the Defense of Human Rights said yesterday
\nthe case should be resolved through open, legal procedures rather
\nthan through a political approach.<\/p>\n
\"It's unfortunate that other factors and the public's quest
\nfor justice are neglected when it comes to corruption by
\ngovernment officials,\" the institute said. (swe\/byi)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/attorney-general-continues-transport-ministry-probe-1447893297",
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