Attorney General seeks clarification from Ghalib

JAKARTA (JP): Attorney General Marzuki Darusman will question his predecessor Andi Muhammad Ghalib over his statements that two top officials had prevented the office's efforts in the prosecution of former president Soeharto, an activist said on Thursday.

Ghalib will be summoned early next week to clarify his charge on former president B.J Habibie and former military chief/minister of defense and security Gen. (ret) Wiranto as stated in his biography, economist Faisal Basri from the Movement of Concerned Citizens on State Assets (Gempita) told reporters after an hour-long meeting with Marzuki at the Attorney General's Office.

"The attorney general will confirm this matter with Ghalib later next week to clarify whether his statement embraces the truth since there has yet to be a denial from both Wiranto and Habibie.

"If Ghalib fails to give acceptable clarifications, then we will assume that the book is not credible and only telling lies," Faisal said.

Ghalib's biography, Menepis Badai, Menegakkan Supremasi Hukum (Warding Off the Storm, Upholding the Supreme Law), which was launched on Jan. 16, cited on page 342 that the prosecutors had obtained enough evidence to name Soeharto as a suspect for corruption in several foundations and the national automobile project.

The retired lieutenant general revealed that he had initially been supported by Habibie to proceed with the investigation. However, the book said, Habibie changed his mind after being advised by Wiranto who argued that it would taint Soeharto's image.

Habibie then decided to "freeze the case on Soeharto whether he won the election or not".

Gempita chairman Albert Hasibuan said that this revelation shows that there was a conspiracy to obstruct justice from the government and that Habibie and Wiranto should also be questioned over the matter.

"If the prosecutors then found that Habibie and Wiranto had violated the public's aspirations as imposed in the decree, they should be prosecuted and brought to stand trial," he said.

Marzuki reopened Soeharto's case on November 1999 after the probe was halted by Ghalib, who left the post following a controversial report that he received bribes from some businessmen as a large amount of money belonging to a wrestling association he chaired was found on his personal account.

Albert also urged Marzuki to add charges to Soeharto over corruptive practices in the national automobile project.

Soeharto is charged with stealing US$571 million from the state by funneling money from his seven tax-free charitable foundations into businesses belonging to his children and cronies. The case is now under review by the Supreme Court. (bby)