Subiakto grilled for nine hours for Rp 10b graft<\/p>\n
Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Former State Minister of Cooperatives and Small and Medium
\nEnterprises Subiakto Tjakrawerdaya was questioned for more than
\nnine hours on Tuesday during his first day in City Police
\ncustody.<\/p>\n
The questioning of Subiakto, wearing detainee uniform number
\n033 with black trousers, began at 10:35 a.m., and finished at
\n7:50 p.m.<\/p>\n
He was placed in cell number A11 -- used by people like former
\npresident Soeharto's son Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, and
\ngrandson Ari Sigit, and the former minister of cooperatives and
\nState Logistics Agency (Bulog) chief Bustanil Arifin -- late
\nMonday at 10:30 p.m.<\/p>\n
Subiakto was charged for his alleged role in a Rp 10 billion
\n(US$1 million) scam at his office employees' cooperatives unit,
\nand misuse of Rp 10 billion in funds from the cooperatives.<\/p>\n
After the probe, Subiakto's lawyer, Juniver Girsang, revealed
\nthat the investigators, led by the chief of the Corruption
\nDivision, Comr. Anton Wahono, had delivered 21 questions over the
\nland transaction between Subiakto's office employee's
\ncooperatives unit, and Bambang Trihatmodjo, Soeharto's second
\nson.<\/p>\n
Juniver said that the investigation also probed the method by
\nwhich Subiakto had implemented the decision letter issued by
\nBustanil, who is now under house arrest due to illness after
\nbeing charged for corruption at the ministry.<\/p>\n
Bustanil had ordered Subiakto to buy a 4,003-square-meter land
\ntract on Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said, South Jakarta, from Bambang. The
\nplot of land, with a market price of only Rp 1.8 billion in 1990,
\nwas purchased at Rp 10 billion.<\/p>\n
Earlier on Tuesday, Juniver had officially submitted a letter
\nto the police requesting that they suspend Subiakto from being
\ndetained. He also guaranteed that his client's suspect would not
\nescape.<\/p>\n
Juniver expressed hope that Subiakto would be put under city
\narrest, or house arrest. "My client will cooperate with the
\npolice in the investigation," he asserted.<\/p>\n
However, city police spokesman Comr. Anton Bachrul Alam said
\nthat the police had no reason to suspend Subiakto's detention, as
\nhe was not ill, although the suspect did complain of feeling ill
\nbefore the questioning.<\/p>\n
"We have strong evidence with which to detain him, as he has
\nbeen proven to be involved in the scam; Subiakto knows the flow
\nof the money," said Anton.<\/p>\n
Subiakto is the eleventh minister from the New Order Regime to
\nhave been publicly linked to corruption crimes.<\/p>\n
Police officials said that Subiakto would be charged with
\nAnticorruption Law No. 31\/1999, which carries a maximum penalty
\nof 20 years in prison.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/subiakto-grilled-for-nine-hours-for-rp-10b-graft-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}