Buloggate II turns bizarre<\/p>\n
The return to state investigators of Rp 32.5 billion of a
\ntotal of Rp 40 billion in public money allegedly misused by top
\nfigures of the Golkar Party in the run-up to the 1999 general
\nelection has given the case a turn that can only be regarded as
\nbizarre in the extreme.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, a spokesman for the Attorney General's Office in
\nJakarta, Barman Zahir, revealed to the media that the money had
\nbeen returned by Winfried Simatupang, a contractor hired by the
\nthen Golkar-dominated government of president B.J. Habibie to
\ndisburse food packages to the poor. The money, he said, was to be
\npaid back to the state in installments, the first having been
\nmade last week and the final one to be made before the end of
\nthis month.<\/p>\n
The case culminated last week with the detention of House of
\nRepresentatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung, who is concurrently
\nchairman of the Golkar Party, as a suspect in the case after a
\nthird session of questioning by state attorneys. To put it all in
\na proper context, it should be noted that in 1999 Akbar was
\nminister\/state secretary and as such was reportedly ordered by
\nthen president B.J. Habibie to get the money from the State
\nLogistics Agency (Bulog) and use it to buy food for distribution
\nto the poor.<\/p>\n
Akbar complied, but initially denied before investigators that
\nhe had personally received the money, saying that the funds had
\nbeen accepted by Dadang Ruskandar, then deputy chief of Bulog, on
\nbehalf of the Raudlatul Jannah Foundation, a body headed by
\nRuskandar, for relief operations. He also said that he had
\nreported the foundation as recipient of the money to three
\nministers in president Habibie's Cabinet, minister of industry
\nand trade Rahardi Ramlan (who was then head of Bulog and is now
\nalso in detention), coordinating minister for population Haryono
\nSuyono and justice minister Muladi. All three, however, denied
\nany knowledge of the foundation.<\/p>\n
Akbar's testimony regarding acceptance of the money was also
\ndenied by Rahardi Ramlan's deputy at Bulog, Dadang Ruskandar,
\ncompelling Akbar to admit that he had personally received the
\nmoney in the form of three checks in his office. Further evidence
\nlater revealed that the checks were accepted by Golkar Party
\ntreasurers Muhammad S. Hidayat and Fadel Muhammad.<\/p>\n
Even at this point it can be seen that Akbar's testimony is
\nriddled with holes. However, how does one explain what followed
\nnext? Akbar was placed in detention and the Golkar Party
\nthreatened to put pressure on the process by mobilizing its
\nsupporters and withdrawing its ministers from the Cabinet. In the
\nHouse of Representatives, Golkar members stated their
\ndetermination to oppose to the end the proposed formation of a
\nspecial legislative commission to look into the affair.<\/p>\n
Then, out of the blue, more than two months after Akbar had
\nbeen named a corruption suspect, four days after he had been put
\nin detention and weeks after investigators had heard all the
\nallegations and denials, came Saturday's revelation by the
\nAttorney General's Office that the money was being returned in
\nstages. What is one to make of so bizarre a turn of events?<\/p>\n
So far, it seems that the Buloggate II case has managed to
\nraise more questions than it has answered. For instance, where
\nhas this latest money come from? During the investigations in the
\npast few weeks both Winfried and Dadang were adamant that the
\nBulog money had been spent. Not a single rupiah was left and both
\nhad even had to use some of their own money to pay for the food
\npurchase.<\/p>\n
Last week, however, Winfried claimed that he had discovered to
\nhis surprise, \"The money is still in the bank, not all was
\nspent.\" This not only refutes his earlier testimony, it also
\nraises the question as to why the investigators have never taken
\nthe trouble of looking into the bank accounts of corruption
\nsuspects, or even trying to do so. To Winfried, the investigators
\nmust seem like gullible little children.<\/p>\n
There is no shortage of questions that need to be seriously
\nanswered in this bizarre case. However, suffice it is to say that
\nthis latest turn of developments makes it even more urgent than
\never for our state investigators to look into every aspect of the
\ncase. It is important for the public to know precisely where the
\nmoney came from, who provided it and for what purpose and why the
\nAttorney General's Office found it necessary to wait a whole week
\nbefore announcing the return of the funds to the public.<\/p>\n
The fact that the money has been returned, and in so irregular
\na fashion and under such a questionable pretext, must not stand
\nin the way of justice being done. If this nation and its leaders
\nare sincere in their stated determination to uphold the supremacy
\nof the law in this country, no stone should be left unturned for
\ncorruptors to escape justice.<\/p>",
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