Will prosecutors trace misused Bulog funds?<\/p>\n
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The naming of House of Representatives' Speaker Akbar Tandjung as
\na suspect in the Bulog case should enable state prosecutors to
\nbroaden their investigation into the missing Rp 40 billion
\n(US$3.9 billion) in state funds, and could implicate other big
\nnames.<\/p>\n
The Attorney General's Office, moreover, has good leads to
\nhelp it trace the funds as it has in its possession key evidence
\nin the form of 15 checks worth Rp 40 billion.<\/p>\n
However, the Office is unlikely to determine precisely who the
\nultimate beneficiaries were as the checks were all cashed by one
\nperson between March and April 1999.<\/p>\n
Worse still, according to Attorney General's Office spokesman
\nMuljohardjo, the person used a bogus ID card to cash the funds
\nthrough the now defunct Bank Exim and the private Bank Duta.<\/p>\n
\"The investigators have yet to find the person who cashed the
\nchecks in the two banks as the identification card used by him
\nwas found to be bogus after being checked,\" Muljohardjo told
\nreporters on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
His statement contradicted press reports claiming that the
\nchecks were paid into accounts held by executives of the Golkar
\nParty, which Akbar chairs.<\/p>\n
Speculation is, therefore, rife that the money was used to
\nfinance the Golkar Party's campaign in the 1999 election.<\/p>\n
Adding to the speculation is the statement made by Golkar
\nexecutive Syamsul Muarif, currently minister of information,
\nalleging that other political parties had also availed of the
\nBulog money.<\/p>\n
He specifically said that all 48 political parties contesting
\n1999 election, except for the People's Democratic Party, received
\na share of the money.<\/p>\n
The big question, however, is whether the Attorney General's
\nOffice will eventually track down the funds to the political
\nparties.<\/p>\n
Instead, it appears that the Office will concentrate on
\ninvestigating the relationship between Akbar and the Raudlatul
\nJannah Foundation, which he claimed was the recipient of the Rp
\n40 billion.<\/p>\n
The Office is also to investigate the purchases of food
\nassistance for the poor -- although it has already declared that
\nit had found no proof that millions of food parcels had been
\ndistributed in Java's provinces as claimed by Akbar.<\/p>\n
In this regard, the Office's team of investigators led by
\nManaf Djubaedi -- who is also responsible for prosecuting Rahardi
\nRamelan, the main suspect in the case -- will question Akbar and
\nthe witnesses, although a schedule for questioning has yet to be
\ndrawn up.<\/p>\n
The Attorney General's Office has yet to issue a travel ban on
\nor arrest warrant for Akbar to facilitate the investigation.<\/p>",
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