Police conclude 'Time' report defames Soeharto<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): An officer of the National Police concluded on
\nTuesday that a Time magazine report about the former first
\nfamily's wealth on May 24 was libelous and defamatory to former
\npresident Soeharto.<\/p>\n
"Examination and analysis we heard from several experts in
\nlinguistics, legal affairs and magazine graphic design show that
\nthere is a libelous aspect in the report," Col. Makbul
\nPadmanagara, chief detective of the general crimes unit, said.<\/p>\n
The police will proceed with the investigation by summoning
\nother witnesses "soon", he said, refusing to elaborate.<\/p>\n
"Our investigation will only be stopped if Soeharto pulls out
\nand drops his complaints to us against Time," Makbul said.<\/p>\n
In the past, a police announcement that a case could go to
\ntrial has marked the completion of their investigations.<\/p>\n
The Time Asia edition ran a cover story headlined "Suharto
\nInc." claiming the former president and his family had stashed a
\nUS$15 billion fortune abroad. The magazine claimed the amount
\nincluded a $9 billion account at an Austrian bank that was
\ntransferred from a Swiss bank shortly after Soeharto's forced
\nresignation in May last year.<\/p>\n
In connection with the investigation, the police summoned
\nJason Tedjasukmana, a Time correspondent here, for questioning at
\npolice headquarters on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Accompanied by the magazine's lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis, Jason
\nwas grilled for almost two and a half hours and was asked 19
\nquestions about the controversial report.<\/p>\n
"Jason is a witness for the offense believed by the police to
\nhave been committed by chief editor of Time Asia," Todung said,
\nreferring to Donald Morrison, who has been named a suspect.<\/p>\n
To the police detectives, Jason explained his job description
\nas collecting material for the report and also accompanying the
\nmagazine's Hong Kong correspondent to interview then attorney
\ngeneral Andi M. Ghalib, Todung said.<\/p>\n
A stringer for the magazine, Zamira Ellyana Loebis, was also
\nsummoned for questioning as a witness last week.<\/p>\n
After Tuesday's questioning, however, Todung said Zamira was a
\nwitness for the crime believed by the police to have been
\ncommitted by Time's chief editors in New York.<\/p>\n
Jason and Zamira were two of the six staffers to contribute
\nreports for the alleged libelous 14-page cover story.<\/p>\n
Time would always be cooperative with the police
\ninvestigation, Todung said, dismissing rumors that the Time
\ncorrespondents here would leave the country to avoid police
\nquestioning.<\/p>\n
However, Todung said Soeharto's complaint to the police was
\ngroundless.<\/p>\n
"In democratic countries, public figures -- mostly politicians
\nand statesmen -- hardly have the rights to sue mass media, which
\nis considered to be a social control institution," he said.<\/p>\n
If they objected to media reports on them, they could file
\ncomplaints with the magazines or newspapers and would not
\nimmediately regard them as criminal offenses, he said.<\/p>\n
Soeharto, who is currently being treated at Pertamina Hospital
\nfor a mild stroke, lodged a complaint with police against the
\nmagazine in early June, and later filed a civil lawsuit demanding
\ncompensation of $12 billion at the Jakarta Administrative Court.
\n(emf)<\/p>",
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