Arifin injured in car accident on toll road

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)