Akbar briefs Gus Dur on scam

JAKARTA (JP): House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung admitted on Monday to have met with President Abdurrahman Wahid in connection with his alleged involvement in a land scam in the past.

Akbar said that during the private meeting, which took place on Friday at the residence of a businessman named Hari Kadir in South Jakarta, he emphasized his innocence to the President.

According to Akbar, Hari is a man whom both he and Abdurrahman know well.

"I informed the President about the case. I did not ask for Gus Dur's helping hand, except for expressing a complaint about why I was suddenly named a suspect in a case in which I was not involved," Akbar said, referring to the President by his nickname.

Akbar asserted that he met Abdurrahman to congratulate the President for completing his haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

Speculation has been rife that Akbar sought the President's help. According to the law, questioning of top state officials, including the House Speaker, requires the President's approval.

The National Police named Akbar as a suspect following a lawsuit filed by his nephew Kurnia Ananda against him. Kurnia accused Akbar of forging land titles for 23 hectares of land in Srengseng, Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta in 1995.

Upon the National Police's request, the Attorney General's Office wrote to the President, asking for his approval of Akbar's questioning.

The case focuses on the selling of a piece of land in Srengseng in 1983. The land belonged to Akbar's elder brother, the late Dato Usman Zahiruddin, who sold it to several buyers, including the city administration, which converted it into a public park.

Kurnia, who is Zahiruddin's son, filed a complaint with the police in 1995, saying that Akbar had sold the land without the heirs' consent.

Akbar, whose full name is Djanji Akbar Zahiruddin Tandjung, was the minister of public housing during the period in question.

On Monday, Akbar reiterated his objection to the police decision to name him a suspect, saying he had never been summoned by the police or the attorney general's office over the case.

"As a state official and chairman of a large party I respect the law, but as a subject of the law I also have the right to object to being accused in this case," he said.

When asked whether political reasons are behind the case, Akbar said: "I cannot say anything about that. But judging the current political escalation, I guess there is a possibility of politicizing the case at my expense." (dja)