Anticlimactic ending in Sukhoi inquiry

Anticlimactic ending in Sukhoi inquiry

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The House of Representatives' inquiry into the highly publicized
and controversial Russian jet fighter purchase reached an
anticlimax on Thursday with just a call for penalties against
those involved in the scandal.

The House investigating committee which was initially
optimistic about successfully investigating the scandal, could
not reveal the alleged irregularities in the US$192.6 million
deal and even harvested criticism on the way it carried out the
investigation.

Many sides, including the national press, questioned the
authority of the House when the committee refused to allow
several ministers and related officials to accompany Minister of
Industry and Trade Rini M.S. Suwandi to give a clarification
about the countertrade deal.

"We agree not to define penalties because it's not our
responsibility," inquiry committee chairman Ibrahim Ambong said
in the committee's final meeting to close its two-month
investigation here on Thursday.

The committee also recommended that the government regulate
countertrade procedures in order to avoid irregularities in such
deals with foreign countries in the future.

The atmosphere in the meeting was said to be not as intense as
it was in the past. Djoko Susilo, one of 20 committee members
attending the closed door meeting left the meeting without giving
any comments to the press.

The House had asserted there were irregularities in the deal
because the Ministry of Defense was not involved in the arms
purchase while a small part of the deal was paid in advance from
the National Logistics Agency (Bulog) and state-owned Bukopin
Bank, instead of the 2003 state budget.

Several legislators said the meeting became tense when
legislators were at odds about what recommendations should be
issued from the investigation.

Happy Bone Zulkarnaen of the Golkar Party faction said that
some factions proposed questioning President Megawati
Soekarnoputri to get a clear explanation about the deal but many
other factions, including the Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), opposed it.

Effendi Choirie, the committee deputy chairman, admitted that
his National Awakening Party (PKB) faction was among those that
suggested the House question the President.

"This is a political struggle. We can not force others to
accept our proposal," Choirie added.

Asked about government officials who were allegedly involved
in the scandal, Effendi said that they were Minister Rini M.S.
Suwandi, Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Gen. Endriartono
Sutarto, and State Logistics Agency (Bulog) chief Widjanarko
Puspoyo.

Ambong said that a 24-page report on the investigation would
be brought soon to a meeting of the House defense commission for
approval.

After a series of hearings with a number of high-powered
government officials as well as businessmen, the inquiry
committee concluded that the purchase of the four Sukhoi jet
fighters and two MI-35 assault helicopters was not in line with
the state budget and defense laws.

The deal was signed during President Megawati Soekarnoputri's
visit to Russia in April. All four warplanes which were delivered
last week and early this week are still being assembled at the
Air Force Air Base in Madiun, East Java.