Advisor denies charges against Soeharto

JAKARTA (JP): Yohanes Yacob, an advisor hired by Soeharto to defend his interests, said allegations that the former president and his family had illegally amassed trillions of rupiah were untrue.

Yohanes, who heads the so-called Cendana Consulting Team, said Soeharto only had limited savings in local banks and no overseas holdings.

He said that after being accepted as a consultant he immediately asked Soeharto whether reports of his enormous wealth were true.

"He told me that the money comes from his salary as a retired officer in the Armed Forces and president for 32 years," Yohanes said during an interview with TVRI.

Yohanes said the money was savings Soeharto had intended to use as an "old-age retirement fund". He did not say exactly how much or in which banks the money was deposited.

Yohanes, however, said Soeharto was willing to surrender his deposits for people's welfare if the public considered them to be excessive.

Yohanes also said that Soeharto was delaying his intention to explain publicly about his alleged accumulation of wealth as he wanted to respect the Attorney General's Office investigation into alleged corruption under his leadership.

"Soeharto is actually longing to explain the matter but he decided to give the Attorney General's Office a chance to complete its investigation first," Yohanes claimed, adding that the 77-year-old former president remained steadfast amid the enormous public onslaught regarding his wealth.

Yohanes revealed that he had been working at Soeharto's residence on Jl. Cendana for the few past days, hence the name Cendana Consulting Team.

His name shot to fame over the weekend when it was revealed that he was leading a team of consultants advising Soeharto on his interests.

He did not reveal the makeup of his team, saying only that he had divided the team into several divisions, including legal, economic and political.

Yohanes is an almost unknown in prominent legal circles. Many continue to raise eyebrows that Soeharto would choose someone so obscure without even a law degree to lead his team of advisors which may soon face a barrage of legal issues concerning Soeharto's wealth.

Former attorney general Soedjono C. Atmonegoro revealed last week that Yohanes had presented letters on his power of attorney to represent Soeharto.

Yohanes is a graduate of Pacific Western University in Los Angeles, United States, with a doctorate in political science.

He is currently chairman of an organization called Yayasan/Lembaga Perlindungan Budaya Hukum Nasional "Keadilan Sosial Indonesia" (Foundation for the Protection of National Culture and Law "Indonesian Social Justice") which has its office in Tebet, South Jakarta. (byg)