Soeharto 'may face corruption charges'<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Further checks are needed before former
\npresident Soeharto can be declared a suspect in a corruption
\ncase, Attorney General Andi Ghalib said Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\"Based on information obtained from those questioned, it looks
\nlike it is heading the way of Soeharto becoming a suspect, but we
\ncannot immediately say so. We have to recheck the evidence,\"
\nGhalib told reporters.<\/p>\n
He said his office is in the process of cross-checking the
\nresults of Soeharto's questioning with that of former ministers
\nand government officials concerned.<\/p>\n
\"After all the evidence has been collected, we will cross-
\ncheck for the truth with each party concerned, from former
\ndirectors general, former ministers, and former officials. Then
\nwe will see what Soeharto's position is, and whether it is strong
\nenough to name him as a suspect. Then we will take the next
\nstep,\" Ghalib said.<\/p>\n
Ghalib specifically mentioned a corruption case over a tax-
\nexempt national car project headed by Soeharto's youngest son,
\nHutomo \"Tommy\" Mandala Putra, and the issuance of presidential
\nand ministerial decrees on it.<\/p>\n
Soeharto and his former key aides -- including former industry
\nand trade ministers Tunky Ariwibowo and Muhammad \"Bob\" Hasan and
\nformer minister of finance Mar'ie Muhammad -- have been recently
\nquestioned over the car project.<\/p>\n
Under the program, PT Timor Putra National, a company
\ncontrolled by Tommy, was given a multi-million dollar soft loan
\nfrom a consortium of 16 banks, including state banks, to produce
\nthe so-called Timor national car. It was also given huge tax
\nexemption for the import of the cars from South Korea.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, former director general for custom and excise
\nSoehardjo was also questioned over the tax facilities.<\/p>\n
Accompanied by his lawyer Amin Aryoso, Soehardjo told the
\ninvestigators he was in the position to implement the 1996
\npresidential and ministerial decrees on the tax facilities,
\naccording to the Attorney General Office's spokesman Barman
\nZahir.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Ghalib insisted the political meeting between
\nSoeharto and Muslim leader Abdurrahman Wahid would not detract
\nfrom his office's investigation into the allegations of
\ncorruption in the car project.<\/p>\n
\"The investigation will continue because it has nothing to do
\nwith the national dialog involving Soeharto,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Asked for comment about the lawsuit filed by Timor Putra
\nNational against the Attorney General's Office, Ghalib said both
\nhe and his office were ready to face up to it.<\/p>\n
\"We are ready to face any lawsuits... We have faced numerous
\nlawsuits over government decisions and policies... the President,
\nthe minister of defense and security, the chief of the National
\nPolice, have all faced lawsuits, and we too are ready to face
\nthem,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Sudjono, Timor Putra's lawyer, said the company had refused to
\npay Rp 3.09 trillion in back taxes and import duties to the
\ngovernment because it was not stipulated in the World Trade
\nOrganization's decision and, on the contrary, would sue the
\ngovernment in an attempt to be exempted from the obligation.<\/p>\n
\"Despite its closure, Timor Putra cannot be obliged to pay
\ntaxes which were already a facility for the company,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said his client filed the lawsuit against the minister of
\nfinance in the Central Jakarta Court on Dec. 17, a day before the
\ndeadline set by the government for the company to pay the taxes.<\/p>\n
The government asked Timor Putra to meet the tax obligation
\nfollowing the recent decision by the WTO Disputes Settlement Body
\nand the agreement between the government and the International
\nMonetary Fund (IMF) that all facilities given to Timor Putra were
\nto be lifted.<\/p>\n
Sudjono pledged that his party would uncover corrupt and
\nnepotistic practices and collusion which were rampant behind the
\ncar industry which has caused huge material losses to the
\ncompany. (rms\/prb)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/soeharto-may-face-corruption-charges-1447893297",
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