Attorney general grilled over wealth report<\/p>\n
Muhammad Nafik and Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post,
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
Criticized for his poor performance in dealing with corruption
\ncases, Attorney General M.A. Rachman was quizzed by the Public
\nServant's Wealth Audit Commission (KPKPN) on Wednesday over
\nallegations that he concealed some of his assets in his wealth
\nreport.<\/p>\n
Rachman was summoned to clarify the wealth report that the
\ncommission considered had several discrepancies upon
\nverification.<\/p>\n
Among other questions raised before Rachman was the finding of
\na luxury house worth around Rp 5 billion located at Jl. Penida
\n10, Graha Cinere housing complex in Limo subdistrict, Depok, West
\nJava, believed to belong to the attorney general.<\/p>\n
This asset was not listed in his wealth report submitted to
\nthe commission.<\/p>\n
Later in the day, Rachman was summoned by President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri at her residence on Jl. Teuku Umar. Finance
\nminister Boediono accompanied Rachman during the meeting.<\/p>\n
The tightly guarded Rachman had little to say when journalists
\nthronged him upon arrival at the KPKPN office in Central Jakarta.
\nHe only said he complied with the summons for questioning about
\nthe luxury house.<\/p>\n
Petrus Selestinus, who is among the five KPKPN members who
\nquestioned Rachman, told The Jakarta Post that the attorney
\ngeneral gave conflicting statements during questioning.<\/p>\n
He said Rachman admitted that he had bought the house on Nov.
\n29, 1999 when serving as deputy attorney general for general
\ncrimes.<\/p>\n
But the attorney general converted its ownership on Oct. 10,
\n2000 to his daughter, Chairunnisa, who in January this year sold
\nit to businessman Hussein Tanoto, Petrus quoted him as saying.<\/p>\n
Despite claiming to have sold the house to Tanoto, Rachman
\nadmitted the house remains under Chairunnisa's name, and that she
\nwas building a swimming pool there, according to Petrus and his
\ncolleague Soekotjo Soeparto.<\/p>\n
Soekotjo revealed that based on documents, Rahman only shifted
\nthe possession of the house to Chairunnisa -- not the title to
\nits ownership as he claimed -- before selling it to Hussein for
\nRp 950 million.<\/p>\n
Asked how Rahman could afford to buy such a huge, luxury
\nhouse, Petrus said: "He told us that the money was received in
\nthe form of gifts given during the wedding ceremony of his second
\ndaughter."<\/p>\n
Soekotjo said Chairunnisa will be summoned to verify her
\nfather's statement and to find out why she sold the house for
\nonly Rp 950 million, while the 825 square meters of land alone,
\non which the house stands, is worth more than Rp 1 billion based
\non a gross calculation.<\/p>\n
Rachman was also grilled about his bank deposits of Rp 545.6
\nmillion and US$29,600 amassed between 1998 and 2000 as his
\nmonthly salary as a deputy attorney general of general crimes at
\nthe time was only Rp 5.9 million.<\/p>\n
Rachman explained that the deposits were collected from "years
\nof his family's savings and other sources, including tips from
\nEast Java businessmen" whom the attorney general claimed had
\nnothing to do with cases he dealt with, Soekotjo said.<\/p>\n
Rachman was head of the East Java Prosecutor's Office before
\nassuming duties in Jakarta in 1999.<\/p>\n
Also under scrutiny were his five other houses: two in Bekasi,
\nWest Java, two in Sumenep on East Java's Madura Island, and
\nanother one in Sidoarjo, also in East Java.<\/p>\n
Following public tip-offs, the KPKPN investigators also
\nquestioned Rachman's relations with Hussein, whose son Suryo was
\nreportedly once a middleman for cases when the attorney general
\nwas serving as head of the East Java Prosecutor's Office.<\/p>\n
Rachman admitted having known Suryo for four years, but denied
\nmedia reports on Suryo, said Soekotjo.<\/p>\n
The attorney general, who is responsible for dealing mainly
\nwith the country's widespread corruption, came under fire for
\nhosting a lavish wedding reception for his daughter last July.<\/p>\n
Rachman has come under fire for having taken too much time to
\ncomplete investigations and failing to show a consistent policy
\nfor treating alleged corruptors with the various sentencing
\ndemands proposed to the courts.<\/p>",
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