Arifin injured in car accident on toll road

JAKARTA (JP): Oil tycoon Arifin Panigoro and two friends suffered minor injuries in a car accident on the Jagorawi toll road on early Wednesday morning.

Arifin and his friends, identified as Ahmad Bukhari, alias Johny Saleh, and Zaenal Arifin, were returning to Jakarta from Bandung in a Mercedes-Benz sedan when the accident occurred at about 1:30 a.m., a member of the businessman's staff, Muntazar, said.

"The cause of the accident is still unclear. Maybe the car got a flat tire," according to Muntazar.

He said the accident occurred hundreds of meters from the tollgate in Ciawi.

Ibrahim, the car's driver, was killed in the accident and was buried in Bogor on Wednesday.

Muntazar denied that the accident was planned by a group of people opposed to Arifin's political activities.

"Many people have asked me about this, not just journalists. I could not say anything about it," he said.

Arifin, who is the chairman of the Medco Group, is now being treated at the Jakarta Hospital.

Nazif, a doctor at the hospital, said that Arifin received a slight injury to the back of his head.

"He will recover in the next few days," Nazif said.

Muntazar said the Mercedes-Benz, which was badly damaged in the accident, was the same car which was stoned by a mob of people on Oct. 2 of this year.

About 100 people attacked Arifin's residence on Jl. Jenggala in South Jakarta and smashed the windows of his car because they believed that Arifin was funding the student demonstrations.

The mob claimed to be members of the People Saver Front from North Jakarta.

The businessman was also summoned recently by the Attorney General's Office for questioning over alleged embezzlement. (jun)