Army may dismiss Agus, Saurip if found guilty

Army may dismiss Agus, Saurip if found guilty

JAKARTA (JP): Army Headquarters may dismiss Lt. Gen. Agus
Wirahadikusumah and Maj. Gen. Saurip Kadi if they are proven
guilty of having violated the military's oath and code of
conduct, newly appointed Army chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said
on Tuesday.

Endriartono, however, said that Army Headquarters had yet to
establish the Officers Honorary Council (DKP) to review the
allegations.

"We need to be careful handling the case as it involves
someone's reputation.

"If there is insufficient data and evidence to prove the
allegations, it will be unnecessary to set up the DKP," he said
in a media conference at Army Headquarters.

Endriartono said an Army investigation team was collecting
data, which will be crosschecked with statements of clarification
from both Agus and Saurip. and

"Only when we have evidence, will we decide to disiplin Agus
and Saurip," he said.

Outgoing Army chief Gen. Tyasno Sudarto, who will officially
be replaced by Endriartono on Wednesday, said the move taken by
Army Headquarters on Agus and Saurip was part of the efforts to
establish discipline among Army officers.

"This is an internal and common Army matter. It became unusual
when it was politicized by certain groups outside the Army,"
Tyasno said. He declined to name the groups.

The case rose to the surface early this month when Tyasno
chaired the graduation ceremony (Prasetya Perwira) at the Army's
Cadet School (Secapa) in Bandung.

Apart from the Oct. 2 ceremony, some 46 Army generals
reportedly signed a petition threatening to resign en masse if
Agus was appointed to replace Tyasno as Army chief.

The petition also recommended that Army Headquarters press
disciplinary charges against Agus and Saurip over the alleged
undisciplined actions of both officers.

Most top Army generals were present, except Jakarta Military
commander Maj. Gen. Slamet Kirbiyantoro, the Trikora Regional
Military commander Maj. Gen. Albert Inkiriwang, and the Pattimura
Military commander Brig. Gen. I Made Yasa. Also present were
Army's Special Force (Kopassus) commander Maj. Gen. Amirul
Isnaeni and chief of the Army's Strategic Reserves Command
(Kostrad) Lt. Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu.

Agus, a former Kostrad chief, and Saurip, former Assistant to
Army Chief for territorial affairs, now face allegations of
undisciplined acts after being summoned by Army leaders earlier
this month.

Agus was questioned for being absent without leave (AWOL), and
Saurip for publishing a book about military activities without
the Army's permission.

They were questioned by Endriartono, who, at the time, was the
deputy Army chief. Endriartono was assisted by Assistant to Army
Chief for Security Affairs Maj. Gen. I Dewa Putu Rai, and
Assistant for Personnel Affairs Maj. Gen. Suprapto.

Besides facing the allegation of being AWOL, Agus is also
being charged for disclosing the alleged Rp 189 billion (US$21.2
million) corruption scandal in a Kostrad foundation before the
investigation was completed.

It was in the middle of an investigation into allegations of
corruption in the command by his predecessors that Agus lost his
post.

Agus was also questioned by the Army leadership about his
decision to send a company of Kostrad troops to Bengkulu without
prior coordination with the Indonesian Military (TNI)
Headquarters when the province was struck by an earthquake in
June.

Both Agus and Saurip have called the allegations slanderous.
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