Inquiry halted into Soeharto's charities<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Acting Attorney General Ismudjoko said on Monday
\nhe had decided to stop the year-long corruption investigation
\ninto former president Soeharto for lack of evidence.<\/p>\n
Ismudjoko told reporters after a meeting with President B.J.
\nHabibie that the investigation into two of Soeharto's foundations
\nfound no evidence that the charity bodies violated any laws.<\/p>\n
\"Since our investigations did not find any evidence of
\ncorruption, I have ordered that the probe be discontinued in so
\nfar as the foundations are concerned,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Soeharto founded and chaired four charity foundations -- Amal
\nBakti Muslim Pancasila, Supersemar, Dharmais and Dakab -- which
\nraised funds from donations and state companies. But he handed
\nover all the foundations, with total assets of Rp 5.7 trillion,
\nto the government soon after he resigned in May 1998.<\/p>\n
Ismudjoko insisted there was no evidence the two foundations
\nwere involved in corruption or misused the money they received
\nfrom the public or from state companies.<\/p>\n
The president, who will submit his accountability speech to
\nthe People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) on Thursday, did not
\nmake any comment, and his meeting with Ismudjoko lasted less than
\n10 minutes, an informed source said.<\/p>\n
But the decision immediately aroused anger, frustration and
\ndisappointment among legislators, party leaders, lawyers and
\nstudent leaders.<\/p>\n
The ailing 78-year old Soeharto has been accused of using his
\npower during his 32-year rule to enrich members of his family and
\nclose friends.<\/p>\n
Many of the decrees Soeharto issued have been revoked on
\naccount of their corruptive purposes and many of the business
\ncontracts won by his family members have been canceled on charges
\nof collusion and nepotism.<\/p>\n
But Soeharto, who is still under the care of personal doctors
\nat his Cendana residence, accepted the good news calmly, his
\nlawyer Felix Tampubolon said.<\/p>\n
\"Tutut conveyed the message very carefully to Soeharto as his
\ncondition does not allow him to receive any surprises,\"
\nTampubolon said, referring to Soeharto's eldest daughter Mrs.
\nSiti Hardiyanti Rukmana.<\/p>\n
He said Soeharto whispered to his daughter that he surrendered
\nto Allah and whatever decision taken by the government upon him,
\nadding that he would always obey the law.<\/p>\n
Golkar Party's chairman Akbar Tandjung said the decision,
\nthough legally right, would still leave a big question mark in
\nthe minds of the people.<\/p>\n
\"Obviously, this will also affect Habibie's chances in the
\nOct. 20 presidential election,\" Akbar said.<\/p>\n
Marzuki Darusman, deputy chairman of Golkar and chairman of
\nthe party's faction at the MPR, said the decision completely
\nperplexed him.<\/p>\n
\"But I assume the government has carefully considered the
\nimpact of the move, coming as it does just a few days before
\nHabibie delivers his accountability speech to the MPR on
\nThursday,\" Marzuki said.<\/p>\n
Separately, director of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation
\n(YLBHI) Bambang Widjojanto said the decision to drop the
\ninvestigation only strengthened the speculation that the Attorney
\nGeneral's Office had simply been play acting right from the start
\nof the investigation.<\/p>\n
\"Ismudjoko's office had earlier made several public statements
\nimplying that there were some indications of abuse of power by
\nSoeharto. But now the final decision is like this,\" Bambang said.<\/p>\n
\"I suspect the decision is also Habibie's move to secure legal
\nprotection for himself. He wants to wash his hands of the case if
\nthe new government wants to reopen it someday.<\/p>\n
Big blunder<\/p>\n
\"Whatever the case, Habibie has made a big blunder by dropping
\nthe case against Soeharto,\" Bambang added.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile law expert J.E. Sahetapy, who is also a House member
\nof the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan)
\nparty, said he was skeptical about the investigation into
\nSoeharto right from the outset.<\/p>\n
\"What kind of a country are we in now,\" Sahetapy told
\nreporters at the MPR building.<\/p>\n
Sahetapy was confident that the new government would reopen
\ninvestigations into Soeharto and all other members of his family
\nand cronies suspected of involvement in corruption, collusion and
\nnepotism.<\/p>\n
Hendardi, Chairman of the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human
\nRights Association, lambasted the decision as a complete absence
\nof public accountability on the part of Habibie.<\/p>\n
\"The decision only strengthens the perception among the
\ninternational community and organizations that the legal system,
\nin Indonesia is entirely not credible,\" Hendardi pointed out.<\/p>\n
Separately in Yogyakarta, a law expert at Gadjah Mada
\nUniversity, M. Mahfud, said although the decision could legally
\nbe justified it nonetheless hurt the people's sense of justice.<\/p>\n
\"That move will obviously make many people angry, given the
\nfact that corruption is still thriving in this country,\" he told
\nThe Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Kinam, a student activist leader in Surabaya, said \"students
\nhave never believed that the Habibie administration was really
\nserious about investigating the former authoritarian leader.\"<\/p>\n
He said even if students flatly rejected the decision they
\nwould not take to the street to protest it.<\/p>\n
\"What is the use? It is better for us to move after a new
\ngovernment is formed. We will demand that an independent
\ncommission be set up to reopen investigations on Soeharto,\" Kinam
\nadded.<\/p>\n
Kwik Kian Gie, a House member of the PDI Perjuangan faction,
\nconsidered the government decision to be a mockery of law
\nenforcement.<\/p>\n
\"It is clear that all the investigations made over the last
\neight months were simply a mockery,\" Kwik said, adding that if
\nhis party led the new government it would reopen investigations
\ninto Soeharto.<\/p>\n
Anton Sujata, former deputy attorney general for special
\ncriminal cases, especially corruption, commented that right from
\nthe beginning the investigation process had been questionable.<\/p>\n
\"It has been clear from the outset there has never been any
\nserious investigation into Soeharto,\" Anton added.
\n(prb\/emf\/byg\/44\/vin)<\/p>",
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