Winters ready to meet the police for dialog<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): American professor Jeffrey Winters is ready to
\nmeet police and officials of the Attorney General's Office to
\ndiscuss recent remarks in which he alleged a senior minister had
\ncolluded with a private company over the purchase of shares in PT
\nFreeport Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Winters has also appointed a senior lawyer as his legal
\nadvisor, his close friend Bondan Winarno said on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\"I will gladly explain what I said and why I said it, as well
\nas discuss the contents of the Econit report on the Freeport
\ncontract,\" Bondan quoted Winters as telling him.<\/p>\n
Winters, a professor in political economics at Chicago's
\nNorthwestern University, alleged in Jakarta last Monday that
\nCoordinating Minister for Economy, Finance and Industry Ginandjar
\nKartasasmita had abused his position of authority during his
\ntenure as minister of mines and energy from 1988 to 1993.<\/p>\n
Citing a report prepared by PT Econit, a local firm of
\nconsultants, Winters alleged that Ginandjar had received a bribe
\nin connection with a large shares transaction between Freeport, a
\ngiant copper and gold mining company, and PT Bakrie & Brothers.<\/p>\n
Ginandjar has strongly denied the allegation. He said the
\ntransaction was nothing more than a business deal between the two
\nprivate companies.<\/p>\n
President B.J. Habibie said Winters' statement humiliated the
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
Ginandjar did not say whether he would take any action against
\nEconit, the source of the information. Econit has so far remained
\nsilent on the matter.<\/p>\n
Minister of Justice Muladi said on Wednesday that Winters
\nwould be blacklisted and interrogated by police. Winters left the
\ncountry on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
On Friday, Muladi changed his stance and said the government
\nwould allow Winters to enter the country but would question him
\nover his allegations if he did.<\/p>\n
\"He can come (to Indonesia), and we will use the opportunity
\nto interrogate him. If he arrives, he will not be able to leave
\nbefore settling his legal matters,\" Muladi said.<\/p>\n
Winters is scheduled to address the Indonesian Forum, a two-
\nday international conference which opens here Monday (today).<\/p>\n
He has said he will come to Jakarta if the government lifts
\nthe warrant for his arrest.<\/p>\n
Bondan, the chairman of the conference organizing committee,
\nsaid Winters would only agree to talk with Indonesian officials
\nas long as they guaranteed he would be free to leave the country
\nafter the meeting.<\/p>\n
Winters told Bondan the meeting should take place \"not at the
\npolice or at the Attorney General's Office, but rather at Mulya's
\noffice\". He was referring to senior lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis,
\nwho was present when he made the allegations against Ginandjar.<\/p>\n
Bondan earlier claimed that Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir
\nMohamad was also scheduled to address the conference.<\/p>\n
However Kuala Lumpur has denied this claim, saying the prime
\nminister did not have any plans to visit Jakarta next month.
\n(prb)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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