House to decide on Akbar query on Thursday<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari and Abu Hanifah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The question of whether the House of Representatives will form a
\nspecial committee to probe a Rp 54.6 billion (about US$5 million)
\nscandal, in which House Speaker Akbar Tandjung has been
\nimplicated, will be answered soon when its Consultative Body
\n(Bamus) convenes a meeting on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The meeting will specifically discuss a proposal submitted by
\n50 legislators from various factions in the House for such a
\ncommittee.<\/p>\n
\"The proposal will be discussed at a Bamus meeting on
\nThursday,\" House Deputy Speaker A.M. Fatwa told The Jakarta Post
\non Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Akbar, also chairman of the Golkar Party, has been implicated
\nin the suspected misuse of funds belonging to the State Logistics
\nAgency (Bulog) when he served as state secretary in 1999 during
\nformer president BJ Habibie's rule.<\/p>\n
Akbar has admitted that he disbursed Rp 40 billion of the
\nfunds in two installments to the Islamic Raudlatul Jannah
\nFoundation for humanitarian programs during the peak of the
\ncountry's economic crisis<\/p>\n
Many have alleged that the money was used to finance Golkar's
\ncampaign activities as then embattled Habibie was struggling for
\npresidential reelection.<\/p>\n
Legislator Ali Masykur Musa of the National Awakening Party
\n(PKB), which has been at the forefront for calls for the House to
\nprobe the issue, admitted that his party hoped the demanded
\ncommittee would put \"moral pressure\" on Akbar to quit as House
\nspeaker.<\/p>\n
\"But everything depends on the mechanism agreed upon by
\nfactions and House leaders,\" Ali said, adding that the move was
\naimed at preventing similar graft cases from recurring.<\/p>\n
The House formed a similar committee to investigate another
\nBulog scandal involving Rp 35 billion allegedly involving former
\npresident Abdurrahman Wahid, his masseur Suwondo and Bulog's ex-
\ndeputy chief Sapuan.<\/p>\n
The first Bulog scandal precipitated Abdurrahman's exit from
\nthe State Palace in July after the People's Consultative Assembly
\n(MPR), the nation's top legislature, impeached him despite the
\nabsence of a trial concerning the charges.<\/p>\n
Public pressure has mounted for the House to launch an inquiry
\ninto Akbar concerning the latest Bulog scandal. Many proreform
\norganizations and legal activists have urged the House to respond
\npositively to demands for probes into any corruption charges
\nagainst state officers, including Akbar.<\/p>\n
But unlike with the previous Bulog investigation, most
\nlegislators from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
\nPerjuangan) and the Golkar Party -- the two biggest factions in
\nthe House -- are likely to oppose an inquiry into the Akbar case.<\/p>\n
The PDI Perjuangan, however, said on Tuesday it had made a
\ncertain decision in regard to the demand for a House special
\ncommittee, but declined to publicly announce it.<\/p>\n
\"We will not announce the decision. Just wait for our move in
\nthe House,\" PDI Perjuangan Secretary General Soetjipto said,
\nadmitting that the decision was reached after considering the
\n\"existing political situation\".<\/p>\n
Sources within the party told The Jakarta Post that PDI
\nPerjuangan would fully support the establishment of such a
\nspecial committee, but it was not clear whether the backing was a
\npolitical maneuver for its own interests.<\/p>\n
Some lawmakers from different parties have also questioned the
\neffectiveness of a special committee.<\/p>\n
Alvin Lie of the Reform faction and Ade Komaruddin of the
\nGolkar faction gave the thumbs-down to the proposal. \"I don't
\nlike the way they (PKB legislators) seek support. Perhaps they
\nthink political bargaining is an easy thing,\" Alvin said.<\/p>\n
Both Alvin and Ade were coordinators for the setting-up of the
\nprevious special committee to investigate the first Bulog scam.<\/p>\n
Akbar confirmed on Tuesday that he had received a second
\nsummons for questioning on Thursday at the Attorney General's
\nOffice (AGO), and said he would comply with the order.<\/p>\n
\"I have been asked to give more explanations to the AGO at
\n9:30 a.m. on Thursday,\" he told journalists.<\/p>\n
It will be the second round of questioning for Akbar in
\nconnection with the scandal. The new summons followed the recent
\ndiscovery of two incriminating receipts allegedly signed by
\nGolkar treasurers Fadel Muhammad and Muhammad S. Hidayat.<\/p>\n
\"I do not know what they (prosecutors) are going to ask me
\nabout. Any matter that they want further clarification from me, I
\nwill give them,\" Akbar said of the second summons.<\/p>\n
Separately on Tuesday, Akbar's lawyers Hotma Sitompoel and
\nRuhut Sitompul said the Attorney General's Office could not
\ncharge his client only based on copies of the two receipts.<\/p>\n
\"Such copies cannot be considered as legal evidence. It's
\nmerely rubbish,\" Hotma told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/house-to-decide-on-akbar-query-on-thursday-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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