Attorney General launches probe into key politicians<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Attorney General Baharuddin Lopa brushed off
\ncriticism on Thursday of his plans to launch a corruption probe
\ninto several leading politicians, contending that his actions
\nwere well within the confines of the law.<\/p>\n
\"Don't get in our way. We'll continue with the plan because it
\nhas a legal base,\" Lopa told reporters.<\/p>\n
Stressing that he was unperturbed by any intimidation, Lopa
\nthen quoted a verse from the Koran which directs everyone to
\n\"uphold law and justice in the name of God, even when it involves
\nyour own parents, family and friends.\"<\/p>\n
In his capacity as President, Abdurrahman Wahid has given the
\ngreen light for the Attorney General's Office to probe House of
\nRepresentatives Speaker and Golkar Party chief Akbar Tandjung
\nalong with Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
\nPerjuangan) legislator Arifin Panigoro.<\/p>\n
Arifin charged on Wednesday that the move was really an
\nattempt by the embattled President to crack down on his political
\nfoes as the special session of the People's Consultative Assembly
\ndrew near.<\/p>\n
Lopa brushed aside these accusations on Thursday, asserting
\nthat the investigation would be halted if prosecutors did not
\nfind evidence that linked the two to corrupt practices.<\/p>\n
\"Special session or not, I will go on,\" Lopa insisted.<\/p>\n
Lopa further revealed that he would continue legal proceedings
\nagainst business tycoon Prajogo Pangestu, who along with
\nbusinessmen Sinivasan Marimutu and Gajah Tunggal Group owner
\nSjamsul Nursalim had had previous investigations against them
\npersonally suspended by the President.<\/p>\n
\"No matter who I deal with, friends or not, I will combat
\ncorruption to its roots,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Sinivasan had been named a suspect for allegedly marking up
\nstate loans given to his company Texmaco, but then Attorney
\nGeneral Marzuki Darusman halted the investigation due to lack of
\nevidence.<\/p>\n
\"The suspension of the investigation was before my time. But I
\nhave ordered my men to review the case,\" Lopa said.<\/p>\n
Reactions<\/p>\n
Separately, legislators displayed mixed reactions to the
\nAttorney General's move.<\/p>\n
Agun Gunandjar, a legislator of the Golkar Party, slammed the
\nplanned investigation, describing it as Abdurrahman's \"revenge\"
\non his political foes.<\/p>\n
\"The Attorney General's plan to investigate Akbar Tandjung,
\nArifin Panigoro and Nurdin Halid, all three legislators, is
\nrelated to the House's decision to call for a special session and
\nthe tension between the President and the House,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said Golkar would fight the move and remain politically
\nsteadfast in demanding the President's accountability in the
\nspecial session.<\/p>\n
Syamsul Muarif, chairman of the Golkar faction, asserted that
\nhis faction was committed to upholding the supremacy of law and
\nthe investigation of corrupt and collusive practices, but the
\ngovernment should not abuse the law for political purposes.<\/p>\n
\"Golkar has no objection to the investigation into corruption
\nallegations against the three legislators if it is conducted in
\naccordance with the law and if the Attorney General has evidence
\nof their involvement in corruption,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Akbar himself also pledged resistance if the probe was
\npolitically tainted.<\/p>\n
\"We will not keep silent ... This will not be able to halt the
\nimminent special session,\" he said after receiving Hayono Isman,
\nchairman of the Multipurpose Cooperative of Mutual Assistance
\n(Kosgoro) at his office.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Aberson Marle Sihaloho, an outspoken legislator of
\nPDI Perjuangan, hailed the planned investigation, maintaining
\nthat it had nothing to do with the special session.<\/p>\n
\"Despite the special session, the investigation into
\ncorruption must go on,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Aberson called on Akbar and Arifin to aid the investigation to
\nprovide an example for others as well as to prove their
\ninnocence.<\/p>\n
\"Frankly speaking, I'm suspicious of the three as they have
\nreacted strongly while in fact the investigation itself hasn't
\nbegun yet,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Haryanto Taslam, another legislator of PDI Perjuangan, said
\nhis party would have no objection to the investigation.<\/p>\n
\"PDI Perjuangan is committed to the supremacy of law and it
\nwill fully support imposing stern sanctions against corruptors,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile in Yogyakarta, Assembly speaker Amien Rais said that
\nthe investigation was politicized, as the law was being exploited
\nby the President to attack his political opponents.<\/p>\n
Amien remarked that it would be better for Lopa to investigate
\n\"bigger corruption cases\" rather than investigating the
\nlegislators.<\/p>\n
He further stressed that whatever the outcome of the
\ninvestigation it would have no bearing on the special session.<\/p>\n
\"It's like trying to catch smoke,\" he said of the lame
\nattempts to block the special session.(44\/rms\/bby)<\/p>",
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