Arifin threatens to sue AGO for defamation

JAKARTA(JP): Politician and businessman Arifin Panigoro denied any wrongdoing on Wednesday and even threatened to sue the Attorney General's Office for declaring him a graft suspect recently.

Arifin argued that the office's move was purely politically motivated.

"I have been disadvantaged by this defamation," said Arifin, who called a media conference at his residence in South Jakarta.

He stated that he had not even been summoned by the prosecutors' office in relation to the alleged graft case.

"It happens that I am a player on the political stage. So I have suffered the impact, being labeled a corruptor," said the chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) faction at the House of Representatives.

Arifin, one of the most outspoken opponents of beleaguered President Abdurrahman Wahid, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in his past business activities.

On Tuesday, the Attorney General's Office named Arifin a graft suspect in connection with the investigation into a loan agreement between Arifin's Meta Epsi Drilling Company (Medco) group and state-owned investment company PT Bahana Pembinaan Usaha Indonesia (BPUI).

According to Arifin, the US$77million loan had been properly arranged between the two companies, with Medco promising to settle the debt by the end of this year.

Commenting on Arifin's threat, spokesman for the prosecutors' office Mulyohardjo said, "It is anybody's right here to file a lawsuit."

Mulyohardjo said that his office could name anybody as a suspect without first summoning the person for questioning.

"We have also questioned witnesses and our investigators have found indications that he (Arifin) could be named as a suspect," Mulyohardjo maintained.

In a related development, Arifin's colleagues at PDI Perjuangan stated that the recent Attorney General's Office decision on Arifin was the latter's personal concern and did not have anything to do with party affairs.

"Arifin Panigoro's problem should be viewed purely from a legal perspective and not politically," party member Dimyati Hartono was quoted by Antara as saying in Surabaya, East Java.

Dimyati also asked all parties to see the matter straightforwardly and not relate it to the party's political moves.

"Anyway, a political party does not consist of one figure. So if Arifin is guilty (in the case), we should not worry about the party's affairs. There are people who will take care of it," Dimyati added.

Separately, another party executive, Mangara Siahaan, shared the view and said the legal moves toward Arifin would not have any impact on the work of the faction.

"That's just an ordinary matter and it will not influence our work. If the faction chairman is absent, then the deputy chairman will replace him. But of course, we will ask Pak Arifin to immediately settle the matter," said Mangara, who is also deputy secretary-general of the party.

Mangara also stressed that none of the party members had legal immunity, so if Arifin were found guilty, he should be tried and punished.

"It will be better if we wait for the case to proceed," he said, as quoted by Antara. (emf)