Rudy denies the existence of diary outlining meetings<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Bank Bali scandal was the focus of the
\nCabinet meeting on political and security affairs on Thursday,
\nwhere President B.J. Habibie presented a written statement from
\nformer Bank Bali president Rudy Ramli denying the existence of a
\ndiary containing notes on his meetings with senior officials,
\nincluding the President.<\/p>\n
Minister of Justice\/State Secretary Muladi said the President
\nreceived the document in a sealed envelope from a very reliable
\nsource. He affirmed the authenticity of the letter.<\/p>\n
\"The President received from someone who is quite trustworthy
\na sealed statement from Saudara Rudi Ramli,\" Muladi said at a
\nmedia briefing after attending the four-hour meeting at Bina
\nGraha presidential office.<\/p>\n
Muladi refused to name the source. However, palace officials
\nsaid that before the Cabinet meeting, Habibie met with Supreme
\nAdvisory Council chairman A.A. Baramuli, whose name has been
\nlinked to the scandal, at Merdeka Palace.<\/p>\n
The President also received International Monetary Fund Asia-
\nPacific director Hubert Neiss and Supreme Audit Agency chief
\nSatrio B. Yudono before the Cabinet meeting.<\/p>\n
In the letter, Rudy reportedly denied the existence of a diary
\nrecording his daily activities, including meetings with several
\ntop officials, including Minister of Finance Bambang Subianto and
\nWorld Bank official Michael Edwards.<\/p>\n
\"I never made a diary of the Bank Bali case or any other case.
\nI also never distributed a diary or a chronology of the Bank Bali
\ncase either in typed or hand-written versions. The (reported)
\nchronology did not come from me and I am not responsible for it,\"
\nRudy wrote in the letter.<\/p>\n
However, Rudy did confirm meeting with Bambang at the latter's
\nresidence in April and May, and with World Bank staff member
\nMichael Edwards in March.<\/p>\n
\"The meetings were just ordinary talks and not meetings to
\nplan and\/or discuss actions which were against the law,\" Rudy
\nwrote.<\/p>\n
The latest edition of the weekly magazine Tempo reported Rudy
\nwrote in his alleged diary about a meeting he had with Habibie on
\nMay 26 at the President's private residence in Patra Kuningan,
\nSouth Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"The evening after meeting with Tanri Abeng (state minister of
\nthe empowerment of state enterprises) and Baramuli on the 40th
\nfloor of the Hotel Mulia, Rudy was invited to meet with President
\nHabibie at his private residence,\" the magazine reported.<\/p>\n
According to sources who were present at the Cabinet meeting,
\nMinister of Finance Bambang Subaianto and Bank Indonesia Governor
\nSjahril Sabirin pledged their innocence in the scandal.<\/p>\n
\"They claimed they did not know much about the scandal,\" one
\nof the sources said.<\/p>\n
The source said the Cabinet meeting discussed three
\npossibilities for ending the Bank Bali controversy, including the
\nfull disclosure of an audit by PricewaterhouseCoopers which is
\nexpected to be completed on Sept. 7.<\/p>\n
\"The President complained it would be very difficult to
\nconvince the public even if the government was actually very
\nhonest,\" the source said.<\/p>\n
A number of ministers blamed Minister of Information Lt. Gen.
\nYunus, who was absent from the meeting, for giving too much
\nfreedom to the national press. The media has exploited the Bank
\nBali scandal, one of the ministers said as quoted by the source.<\/p>\n
\"They (ministers) blamed the mirror when they saw how ugly
\ntheir face was. The press is only a mirror of society,\" said the
\nsource.<\/p>\n
Apart from the Bank Bali scandal, the Cabinet also discussed
\nthe fate of former president Soeharto. Muladi said last week the
\ngovernment would make a final decision on Soeharto on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\"Relating to my statement last week on haji Muhammad Soeharto,
\nit is very regrettable that we cannot declare anything (regarding
\nthe Soeharto case) today,\" Muladi said.<\/p>\n
He said the Cabinet would make its final decision at the end
\nof the month. (prb)<\/p>",
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