Suwondo strikes back, plans to sue Yanatera official<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Alip Agung Suwondo, alias An Peng Sui, a main
\nsuspect in the Rp 35 billion State Logistics Agency (Bulog)
\nscandal plans to sue any party who had named him as President
\nAbdurrahman Wahid's personal assistant.<\/p>\n
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Suwondo said that a certain
\nparty had accused him of using such a title in an effort to push
\nexecutives of the Bulog's employee foundation, Yanatera, to
\ndisburse the multi-billion fund.<\/p>\n
"I want to sue them because he\/she has used my name saying
\nthat I'm the (President's) personal assistant, Suwondo said at
\nthe Jakarta Police Headquarters after being grilled by detectives
\nover the case.<\/p>\n
Suwondo gave no names, saying that he has yet to find out the
\nparty but insisted that the person was someone from Yanatera.<\/p>\n
"We'll see," Suwondo said, while being escorted by police
\nofficers back to the jail at the police headquarters.<\/p>\n
According to the suspect, also widely known as a masseur to
\nPresident Wahid, the fund he received from Yanatera was simply a
\nloan from Bulog's deputy chief Sapuan, a suspect in the case, and
\nthat he had no idea where the latter got the money from.<\/p>\n
Suwondo's lawyers earlier also said that their client had
\nfailed to notice that he had been identified as Abdurrahman's
\n"personal assistant" on the documents of the loan deal prepared
\nby Sapuan, who has been on trial for the case.<\/p>\n
One of Suwondo's lawyers, Denny Azani B. Latief, said that his
\nclient was fed up with certain media reports, which have cornered
\nhim and, therefore, wanted to strike back.<\/p>\n
"Suwondo has asked for our help about the feasibility of his
\nplan to sue this person from Yanatera," Denny said.<\/p>\n
Separately on Friday, Jakarta Police Criminal Investigation
\nchief Sr. Supt. Harry Montolalu said that the questioning on
\nSuwondo had been completed and the dossiers relating to his role
\nin the case would be submitted soon to the prosecutors office.<\/p>\n
Harry refused to give further details of the dossiers but said
\nthat it is the same thing as what the suspect had already told
\nreporters.<\/p>\n
Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Mulyono Sulaiman said that his
\nofficers were still treating the scandal as a criminal case
\ndespite Suwondo's lawyers' repeated argument that the fund was
\nsimply a loan deal between Suwondo and Sapuan.<\/p>\n
Sapuan repeatedly told the court that he disbursed and handed
\nover the Yanatera's fund to Suwondo, who claimed to have been
\nacting on behalf of the President, who allegedly asked Bulog to
\nparticipate in a humanitarian program in the strife-torn province
\nof Aceh.<\/p>\n
On Oct. 17, former minister of industry and trade and ex-Bulog
\nchief Jusuf Kalla testified before a special committee set up by
\nthe House of Representatives on the case that it was Foreign
\nMinister Alwi Shihab who first informed him that there were funds
\ndisbursed by Yanatera via Suwondo.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, Suwondo was quoted by police interrogators and
\nhis lawyers as saying that he borrowed the fund from Sapuan in
\ntwo phases. The first one worth Rp 25 billion had been spent to
\nexpand a plantation business in Puncak area, West Java. The
\nsecond package of Rp 10 billion was given by Sapuan as a gift
\nsince he had 'shown Sapuan the way' to become Bulog's deputy
\nchief.<\/p>\n
Suwondo, who claimed to have known Abdurrahman, better known
\nas Gus Dur, since 1986 as his friend to talk and chit-chat with,
\nsaid the President has nothing to do with the case.<\/p>\n
Suwondo's lawyer Indra Sahnun Lubis said on Thursday that
\nSapuan gave the loan to Suwondo in the hope that Suwondo would
\nhelp him to get the Bulog's top post after Suwondo managed to
\nhelp him earlier to get the position as Bulog's deputy chief.<\/p>\n
Indra said that when Sapuan asked Suwondo to help him to
\nbecome Bulog's deputy chief, Suwondo then just told Sapuan to
\nchant several Koranic phrases and to visit and donate to certain
\nMuslim boarding schools.<\/p>\n
Indra said that after Sapuan received the post of deputy
\nchief, he then became more greedy and asked Suwondo to assist him
\nto get the position of Bulog chief.<\/p>\n
Sapuan then asked Suwondo to arrange an audience with
\nAbdurrahman which Suwondo did, but he promised Sapuan nothing,
\nIndra said.<\/p>\n
Indra said that Sapuan later told Suwondo that during the
\nmeeting Gus Dur asked whether some of Bulog's funds could be used
\nfor humanitarian aid in Aceh. (jaw\/dja)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/suwondo-strikes-back-plans-to-sue-yanatera-official-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}