Soeharto's lawyer says no letter yet from AGO<\/p>\n
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Former president Soeharto's lawyer Juan Felix Tampubolon claimed
\nhe had not received a letter from the Attorney General's Office
\n(AGO) about the plan to reexamine his client's health.<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, he expressed optimism that if it arrived, the
\nteam of doctors would likely come to a conclusion that his client
\nwas unable to stand trial due to his health.<\/p>\n
\"Wouldn't it be funny if the new medical team makes a
\ndifferent conclusion from the previous teams,\" he mused,
\napparently trying to add a bit of humor to an otherwise sad
\nsituation.<\/p>\n
The AGO said on Monday that it had set up a new team of
\ndoctors to examine Soeharto's wealth in order to determine
\nwhether or not the former dictator could deal with a corruption
\ninvestigation.<\/p>\n
The new team was apparently a response to public outcry about
\nSoeharto's corruption case after he appeared healthy and happy
\nwhile reminiscing with old pal Mahathir Mohamad on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Soeharto, who stepped down in disgrace on May 20, 1998 after
\nmore than three decades in office, has been accused of embezzling
\nmore than US$600 million worth of state funds laundered through
\ndozens of his tax-free foundations.<\/p>\n
A team of medical doctors from state-owned Cipto Mangunkusumo
\nHospital (RSCM) -- the same hospital that will carry out the
\nplanned medical examination -- declared in August 2002 that
\nSoeharto was suffering from permanent brain damage due to at
\nleast one minor stroke.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, noted lawyer Luhut M.P. Pangaribuan doubted on
\nTuesday that the Attorney General was serious about its plan to
\nreopen Soeharto's corruption case.<\/p>\n
According to Luhut, the AGO was just doing it as sort of PR
\nploy to appease the tens of millions of people demanding that
\njustice be done in Soeharto's case, essentially to buy time until
\nthe people forget about the case.<\/p>\n
He said Soeharto would never be put on trial, unless the
\ncountry's leaders had the courage to dissolve this AGO and
\nestablish a new one.<\/p>\n
\"Debate over Soeharto's condition is just taking place between
\nthe prosecutors and medical doctors and they will be the ones to
\ndecide whether he can stand trial,\" Luhut told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Luhut said Soeharto should be sent to court so the judges
\ncould decide whether or not he could stand trial.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/soehartos-lawyer-says-no-letter-yet-from-ago-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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