Ginandjar moves to cell from hospital<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Former minister of mines and energy Ginandjar
\nKartasasmita left his hospital bed for a cell at the Attorney
\nGeneral's Office on Friday for his alleged role in a US$24.8
\nmillion corruption scandal.<\/p>\n
Ginandjar, who will be detained for 20 days, showed no emotion
\nas he left Pertamina Central Hospital, where he had been treated
\nover the past eight days.<\/p>\n
The Attorney General's Office issued the arrest warrant last
\nSaturday but the detention was delayed due to Ginandjar's
\nillness.<\/p>\n
Ginandjar, who will turn 60 next Tuesday, was clad in matching
\ncream sweater and trousers. He looked healthy.<\/p>\n
Before leaving the hospital, Ginandjar claimed innocence and
\nblamed his arrest on political intervention.<\/p>\n
\"We all know that there has been an order from President
\nAbdurrahman Wahid to arrest me,\" Ginandjar, now a deputy speaker
\nof the People's Consultative Assembly, said.<\/p>\n
\"I feel this is a political arrest,\" he added.<\/p>\n
However, he said he would not blame the government or its
\nofficers as they were only doing their job.<\/p>\n
He was escorted by, among others, the head of the
\ninvestigation team, Barman Zahir, Attorney General's Office
\nspokesman Muljohardjo, South Jakarta Prosecutor Antasari Azhar,
\nand also lawyers O.C. Kaligis, Muchyar Yara and Muhammad Assegaf.<\/p>\n
According to Muljohardjo, his office decided to arrest
\nGinandjar because physical examinations had failed to detect any
\nsigns of illness.<\/p>\n
\"If he needs physiotherapy, we will take him to hospital or
\ninvite doctors to the detention house,\" he said.<\/p>\n
It is not clear, however, about the illness as doctors refused
\nto elaborate due to medical ethics and professional
\nconfidentiality.<\/p>\n
According to lawyer Assegaf, doctors had stated that
\nGinandjar's condition is improving but he still needs a few more
\ndays to rest. \"There are also complaints from Ginandjar about a
\nurinating problem,\" Assegaf said.<\/p>\n
\"Doctors said that his prostate might be swollen,\" he added.<\/p>\n
He said the arrest was illegal and that his client should be
\ntried at a military court given his status as a retired Air Force
\nvice marshal. The lawyers have filed a lawsuit regarding the
\nissue, Assegaf said, adding that the trial will start on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Ginandjar, a minister of mines and energy from 1988 to 1993,
\nwas named a suspect for his alleged role in a graft case
\ninvolving state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina and PT
\nUstraindo Petro Gas.<\/p>\n
The deals between Pertamina and PT Ustraindo allegedly
\nviolated regulations on contracts regarding technical assistance
\nbecause they covered oil fields which were still productive at
\nthe time.<\/p>\n
Ginandjar will spend the next 20 days by himself in a room
\nsized four meters by four meters and contains two beds.<\/p>\n
But he will share a bathroom with six other detainees, who
\nunlike Ginandjar, share a bedroom with another person.<\/p>\n
They are respectively, former director of PT Bank Umum
\nServitia, David Nusa Wijaya alias Ng Tjuen Wie; vice president of
\nPT Bank Umum Nasional (BUN) board of commissioners, Kaharudin
\nOngko; and former commissioner of Bank Modern, Samadikun Hartono.<\/p>\n
The three are implicated in the misuse of state liquidity
\nsupport extended to their ailing banks.<\/p>\n
Other detained suspects are Hendro Budiyanto and Heru
\nSupraptomo, former directors of Bank Indonesia who allegedly
\nabused their power in extending central bank emergency loans; and
\nPT Ustraindo's director Praptono H. Tjitrohupojo.<\/p>\n
Earlier on Friday, President Abdurrahman Wahid said he had
\nordered Attorney General Marzuki Darusman to arrest two people on
\ncharges of corruption.<\/p>\n
\"I told him last night to arrest one person on the 15th
\n(April) at the latest and another on the 21st because there's
\nenough evidence,\" Abdurrahman said after Friday prayers in
\nCiganjur, South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman, who is fighting for political survival, said the
\norder to arrest the two people was to keep an earlier promise to
\narrest three people for alleged corruption.<\/p>\n
Reports have speculated that Abdurrahman is planning to
\nprosecute a businessman lawmaker and another former minister,
\nalso on charges of past corruption. (hdn\/byg)<\/p>",
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