Government puts Soeharto under house arrest<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government changed the arrest status of
\nformer president Soeharto, a suspect in an ongoing corruption
\ninvestigation, from a city arrest to a house arrest on Monday.<\/p>\n
The former despot is prohibited from leaving his Jl. Cendana
\nresidence for 14 days, which effectively means that he will mark
\nhis 79th birthday on June 8 within the confines of his Central
\nJakarta house.<\/p>\n
The decision was made following a meeting between Attorney
\nGeneral Marzuki Darusman and President Abdurrahman Wahid at the
\nState Palace.<\/p>\n
Spokesman for the Attorney General's Office Yushar Yahya said
\nthe decision was taken to accelerate the investigation.<\/p>\n
"We want to make sure Soeharto is in good health during
\nquestioning so that the investigation can be completed according
\nto schedule," Yushar told journalists at his office.<\/p>\n
Marzuki has promised that his office will complete the case
\nagainst Soeharto before Aug. 10.<\/p>\n
Yushar said the warrant for Soeharto's new status was signed
\nby Director of Investigation Ris Pandapotan Sihombing and
\nsubmitted on Monday.<\/p>\n
Questioning the ailing Soeharto has proven difficult with
\ndoctors repeatedly stopping the process, citing his poor health.<\/p>\n
He appeared to make some progress on Monday morning when he
\nanswered 25 questions in less than two hours.<\/p>\n
Soeharto's lawyers criticized the government's decision.<\/p>\n
Mohammad Assegaf said the imposition of house arrest had no
\nlegal basis. "To arrest someone who is in ill-health is beyond
\nbelief," he told The Jakarta Post by phone.<\/p>\n
Another lawyer, Denny Kailimang, said the prosecutors did not
\nsay anything about the arrest during the morning questioning.<\/p>\n
He said that lawyers Juan Felix Tampubolon and Indriyanto Seno
\nAdji accepted the house arrest warrant on Soeharto's behalf with
\nreservations when it was delivered to Jl. Cendana in the
\nafternoon.<\/p>\n
"Our client is sick. It's impossible for him to flee or to
\nconceal evidence or to commit similar crimes. Moreover, he has
\nnever violated his city arrest," Denny said.<\/p>\n
The government backtracked on an earlier plan to move Soeharto
\nout of Jl. Cendana. The area has been besieged by student
\ndemonstrators calling for his trial, if not by the court, then by
\nthe people.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, protesters clashed with security forces as they
\ntried to force their way to Jl. Cendana. The violent clashes
\nspread far as Jl. Salemba and Jl. Diponegoro on Friday.<\/p>\n
Yushar said the decision to put Soeharto under house arrest
\nwas taken in the interest of security for the former president.<\/p>\n
"By weighing the security conditions in the area over the last
\nfew days, we've decided to let Soeharto remain in his residence.
\nOf course we will ask the National Police to deploy more
\npersonnel if there is an escalation of unrest," he said.<\/p>\n
"By leaving him at his residence, where he feels at ease, we
\ncan question him any time or deal with him on seizure
\nnotifications of his assets," Yushar added.<\/p>\n
Soeharto's questioning on Monday morning focused on the use of
\nfunds belonging to his seven tax-free charitable foundations.<\/p>\n
His lawyer, Juan Felix Tampubolon, said Soeharto answered all
\n25 questions posed by a team of state prosecutors in less than
\ntwo hours.<\/p>\n
However, he said, the questions were complicated and not as
\nsimple as suggested by the independent medical team of the Cipto
\nMangunkusumo General Hospital.<\/p>\n
"Bapak tried very hard to answer those questions and resisted
\nhelp from the lawyers. But, pity, his replies were out of
\ncontext," Juan told journalists, refusing to reveal the answers
\nfor ethical reasons.<\/p>\n
His colleague, O.C. Kaligis, said investigators questioned
\nSoeharto about the purchase of land in Sentul, near Jakarta,
\nwhere a race track and housing development have been built by
\nHutomo Mandala Putra, Soeharto's youngest son.<\/p>\n
"He (Soeharto) could only remember one thing, that the area
\nwas bought for a sports facility," Kaligis said.<\/p>\n
Juan said such difficult questions affected Soeharto's medical
\ncondition. "His blood pressure rose to 180\/90, and doctors
\nsuggested that the questioning be stopped," he added.<\/p>\n
Juan said Cipto Mangunkusumo doctors will conduct
\ncomprehensive medical tests on Soeharto in the next two weeks,
\nincluding brain scans after suggestions that it might have been
\ndamaged following a stroke last year. (01)<\/p>",
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