Attorney general continues transport ministry probe
Attorney general continues transport ministry probe
JAKARTA (JP): Attorney General Singgih said his office is
still investigating the financial misdeeds reported to have
occurred at the Ministry of Transportation.
Although the government cleared Minister of Transportation
Haryanto Dhanutirto of corruption charges on Tuesday, the
Attorney General office continues its investigation into alleged
irregularities at the ministry.
"We are continuing. We're now examining the reports of
irregularities from the Development and Finance Control Board,"
Singgih told reporters before a plenary cabinet meeting
yesterday.
Quoting Article 44 of the Presidential Decree on the function
of the control board, Singgih said that if the board finds
indications of criminal acts during its examination of state
institutions' budgets, it has to report them to the Attorney
General's Office.
"If there are suspicions of criminal acts, there should
certainly be a process to prove them," he said. He said this
applies to any irregularities reported at any state institution.
Earlier this week, President Soeharto declared the case closed
on allegations of misappropriation of funds leveled at Minister
of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto.
Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono announced on Tuesday that
an investigation into the allegations found that "administrative
mistakes".
Moerdiono said there was no evidence that Haryanto has misused
funds belonging to state enterprises. However, the minister has
been required to reimburse the state for funds used to pay for
his family's overseas trips.
The charges came to the surface when reports by Inspector
General of Development Kentot Harseno to President Soeharto
alleging irregularities at the Ministry of Transportation were
leaked to the press and the public.
Closed
"That's another question entirely," Singgih said when
reporters asked him for comments on President Soeharto's
decision, and whether Haryanto's case could be considered a
criminal one. "The case is considered closed, so it's closed."
Singgih said that Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono is still
investigating how the classified documents were leaked.
In a related event, a group of Moslem students demonstrated
yesterday outside of the Attorney General's Office, calling for
an investigation into Kentot Harseno in relation to the leakage
of state documents.
Some 20 placard-waving members of the Communication Forum for
Jakarta Moslem Students also demanded that the Attorney General
totally clear the name of Minister of Transportation Haryanto
Dhanutirto.
"Bring the slanderer to court!" said one of the placards. The
youths also unfurled banners, including one which quoted a
Koranic verse that says "Truth has arrived and Falsehood
perished".
"We have data that convince us that Haryanto is clean and that
the reports by Kentot on his alleged financial misdeeds were
absolutely unfounded," Ridwan Saleh, one of the protesters, told
The Jakarta Post.
Three of the students, Wakil Kamal, Arif Jatnika and Ahmad
Dayan Lubis, met with Gatot Hendarto of the Attorney General's
Office to state their demands.
Many observers have said the case should not be considered
closed, with some calling for the matter to be cleared up in a
court of law given the strong media publicity this affair has
generated.
The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), for instance,
questioned how the investigation found irregularities, including
in the way Haryanto's office awarded government contracts, yet
reached a conclusion that cleared the minister of all charges.
The Institute for the Defense of Human Rights said yesterday
the case should be resolved through open, legal procedures rather
than through a political approach.
"It's unfortunate that other factors and the public's quest
for justice are neglected when it comes to corruption by
government officials," the institute said. (swe/byi)