Bulog suspects fooling the public: Amien<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Amien Rais
\nsaid the returning of Bulog funds to state investigators showed
\nthat the money was never spent for food distribution as
\noriginally claimed, which meant that the suspects had fooled the
\npublic.<\/p>\n
\"We are suddenly given such a funny story. But it proves that
\nthere had never been any distribution of food (which was supposed
\nto be financed with the money),\" Amien said.<\/p>\n
Amien was commenting on the return of Rp 32.5 billion to state
\ninvestigators, of a total Rp 40 billion belonging to the State
\nLogistics Agency (Bulog) that was allegedly misused by Golkar
\nParty executives, who claimed to have spent the money to
\ndistribute food for the poor in 1999.<\/p>\n
However, Barman Zahir, a spokesman for the Attorney General's
\nOffice in Jakarta, revealed to the media on Saturday, that the
\nmoney had been returned by Winfried Simatupang, a contractor
\nhired by the then Golkar-dominated government of president B.J.
\nHabibie to disburse food packages to the poor.<\/p>\n
The money, Bamran said, was to be paid back to the state in
\ninstallments, with the first having been made last week and the
\nfinal one to be made before the end of this month.<\/p>\n
House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung, who is
\nconcurrently chairman of the Golkar Party, was detained by the
\nAttorney General's Office on Thursday as a suspect in the
\ncorruption case, soon after a third session of questioning.<\/p>\n
Akbar, a former Cabinet minister\/state secretary, claimed to
\nhave been ordered by then president Habibie in 1999 to use the
\nmoney from Bulog to pay for the distribution of food to the poor.<\/p>\n
Amien recalled that the public had believed that the Raudhatul
\nJannah Foundation, a body assigned for emergency relief
\noperations, and its contractor in charge of the humanitarian
\nproject really existed.<\/p>\n
\"But it all turns out to be an illusion. That's the drama of
\nBulogate II, it must be followed up,\" Amien said, referring to
\nthe scandal.<\/p>\n
Amien refused to make any further comments, simply demanding
\nthat the Attorney General's Office handle the case transparently,
\nfairly and seriously.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, chairman of the National Awakening Party (PKB)
\nfaction Ali Masykur Musa, shared Amien's remarks, saying that the
\nreturn of Rp 32.5 billion clearly showed there was deception
\nregarding the humanitarian project in 1999.<\/p>\n
Both Amien and Ali agreed that the latest development already
\nconstituted solid enough ground for legislators to demand the
\nestablishment of a special inquiry committee into the high-
\nprofile scandal.<\/p>\n
A plan to set up such a special committee at a plenary meeting
\non March 7 was postponed until March 18. The postponement
\nfollowed previous successes by Golkar to fight against the
\nestablishment of the committee.<\/p>\n
Akbar Tandjung's inconsistencies:<\/p>\n
1. Akbar initially denied receiving the money directly from
\nBulog.
\n 2. Akbar said Dadang Sukandar, accepted the money for the
\nhumanitarian project on behalf of he Raudhatul Foundation.
\n 3. Three ministers (Haryono Suyono, Rahardi Ramelan and Muladi)
\nwere informed that the Raudhatul Foundation had been named a
\nrecipient of the money.
\n 4. The foundation was recommended by Haryono Suyono.<\/p>\n
1. Former Bulog chief Rahardi Ramelan and former Bulog deputy
\nfinance chief Achmad Ruskandar disputed Akbar's testimony. Akbar
\nlater admitted that several checks written by Achmad Ruskander
\nhad been placed on his desk.
\n 2. Evidence shows that checks from Bulog were accepted by Golkar
\ntreasurers Fadel Muhammad and MS Hidayat.
\n 3. All three ministers deny any knowledge of the foundation.
\n 4. Haryono claimed he never made such a recommendation.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bulog-suspects-fooling-the-public-amien-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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