Decision on Soeharto to take 'another week'<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government said it needed another week to
\nverify evidence of alleged corruption before it can determine the
\nlegal status of former president Soeharto.<\/p>\n
\"How far our investigation has gone, or whether or not he
\n(Soeharto) will be named a suspect later... we have not come
\nthat far as more evidence still needs to be checked,\" Minister of
\nJustice Muladi said here after a two-hour meeting with acting
\nAttorney General Ismudjoko and Coordinating Minister for
\nDevelopment Supervision and State Administrative Reforms Hartarto
\nSastrosoenarto<\/p>\n
Wednesday's meeting was earlier expected to compare notes of
\ntwo separate investigations carried out by Hartarto's and
\nIsmudjoko's offices.<\/p>\n
It was also expected to complete a report for President B.J.
\nHabibie to allow him to make a final decision.<\/p>\n
But once again it was delayed, fueling further criticisms of
\nthe government's recalcitrance concerning the high-profile case.<\/p>\n
\"In our meeting (today), we talked about the government's
\nefforts to eradicate corruption, collusion and nepotism in
\ngeneral and specifically about HMS (a popular acronym for Haji
\nMuhammad Soeharto), his family and cronies,\" Muladi said of the
\nmeeting.<\/p>\n
\"However, these subjects could not be thoroughly discussed in
\nour meeting. So we haven't reached the point of naming his legal
\nstatus. More accurate evidence is needed to reach that stage,\" he
\nadded.<\/p>\n
The government has been under tremendous public pressure to
\nbring the 78-year-old former president to justice for corruption
\nduring his 32 years in power.<\/p>\n
Habibie has promised that his government would conduct a
\nthorough investigation of the matter.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, since Soeharto stepped down on May 21, 1998,
\nthere has been little visible progress.<\/p>\n
On Aug. 19, less than a week after Soeharto was rushed for
\ntreatment at Pertamina Hospital, the government suggested that
\nthe investigation of Soeharto might be suspended due to a lack of
\nevidence.<\/p>\n
According to Muladi, another meeting between the three
\nofficials will be held on Tuesday night before they meet Habibie
\nto present a report at a Cabinet meeting on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\"Whatever decision is made by the president is tentative,\"
\nMuladi said, without elaborating.<\/p>\n
The probe into allegations of corruption against Soeharto was
\nfirst initiated in June last year and was reinforced by a decree
\nof the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) in November.<\/p>\n
When pressed on the likelihood that the investigation could be
\ncompleted before the next General Session of the Assembly in a
\nmonth's time, Muladi retorted by calling on the public not to
\nmake hasty judgments based on unclear assumptions.<\/p>\n
Separately, when asked to comment on Wednesday's meeting,
\nacting Attorney General Ismudjoko replied: \"Soeharto is my
\nbusiness. I'll report it (progress of his office's investigation)
\nto Habibie in a Cabinet meeting next week.\" (emf)<\/p>",
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