Police summon Gus Dur as witness in extortion case<\/p>\n
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Police are to question former president Abdurrahman \"Gus Dur\"
\nWahid in relation to a Rp 15 billion extortion case involving
\nHutomo \"Tommy\" Mandala Putra, the youngest son of former
\npresident Soeharto.<\/p>\n
Police said on Thursday that it would summon Abdurrahman, his
\nwife Sinta Nuriyah and his daughter Zannuba \"Yenni\" Arifah
\nChafsof for interrogation next Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday
\nrespectively.<\/p>\n
\"Police will immediately send the letters to them,\" Jakarta
\npolice spokesman Sr. Comr. Anton Bachrul Alam said.<\/p>\n
The suspects in the extortion case are Abdullah Sidiq Muin,
\nthe leader of an Attauhid Islamic boarding school in Kediri, East
\nJava and Raden Doddy Sumadi, who is known as a close ally of
\nAbdurrahman.<\/p>\n
According to Tommy's lawyer, Elza Syarief, Tommy was asked by
\nboth suspects, on behalf of Abdurrahman, to provide the cash in
\nexchange for a presidential pardon.<\/p>\n
Anton said Tommy paid the cash on Oct. 19, 2000, at his house
\non Jl. Cendana, Central Jakarta to Doddy and Sidiq.<\/p>\n
Anton said that the Rp 15 billion was reportedly split three
\nequal ways between the Puan Amal Hayati foundation belonging to
\nSinta Nuriyah, the Attauhid Islamic boarding school, and to
\nfinance the handling of Tommy's 18-month jail sentence for the
\nGoro-Bulog land scam.<\/p>\n
Legal observers, however, had cautioned earlier that
\nimplicating popular figures like Gus Dur might be seen as an
\nattempt by Tommy to derail the criminal investigation against
\nhim.<\/p>\n
Achmad Ali of the Hassanudin University of Makassar, warned
\nthat some claims by Tommy's lawyers could be aimed at distracting
\npublic attention.<\/p>\n
\"The media must stay focused on Tommy's criminal investigation
\ninstead of pursuing other cases launched by Tommy's lawyers,\"
\nAchmad said.<\/p>\n
Tommy's lawyers have already proven their competence,
\nincluding the overturning of Tommy's Goro-Bulog scam conviction.<\/p>\n
Tommy refused to attend the police interrogation on Friday, as
\nhe was not in good health either \"physically\" or \"spiritually\",
\nElza said.<\/p>\n
Elza said Tommy was tired of repeated questions during the
\ninterrogations on the murder of Supreme Court Justice M.
\nSyafiuddin Kartasasmita.<\/p>\n
\"But, he will be available should the police proceed with
\nexamination of other cases,\" Elza added.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/police-summon-gus-dur-as-witness-in-extortion-case-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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