Attorney General to investigate bribery scandal

BANDUNG, West Java (JP): The Attorney General's Office has formed a team to investigate alleged bribes given by Japanese companies to senior Indonesian officials.

Attorney General Andi M. Ghalib said here on Wednesday the junior attorney in charge of operation and intelligence affairs would head the team.

"The move shows that the Attorney General's Office is proactive in responding to any information we receive from the public. The team is now probing the (bribery) information," Ghalib said after swearing in the new chief of the West Java Prosecutor's Office, Djoko Budihardjo.

Ghalib said his office would maintain the equality of the law in investigating the allegations of top-level bribery. "We will question all parties involved in the case."

Japanese daily Yomiuri Shimbun reported recently that two Japanese companies, Kajima Corp. and Tekken Corp., paid bribes to associates of former president Soeharto, several ministries and tax authorities. The daily said such payments were routine for Japanese firms working in Indonesia.

The State Secretariat, the National Development and Planning Agency and the Ministry of Transportation were among the bodies cited by the daily as accepting the illegal money.

Another media report said a Dutch telecommunications firm paid a bribe to a friend of the Soeharto family in 1996 in order to gain a stake in Telkomsel, Indonesia's largest mobile phone network.

Coordinating Minister for Economy, Finance and Trade Ginandjar Kartasasmita said in a letter to Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Takao Kawakami the Indonesian government took the reports seriously and hoped for cooperation between the two countries in investigating the bribery allegations.

Separately, spokesman for the Attorney General's Office Soehandoyo said Ghalib soon would ask for clarification from all concerned ministers.

"The first chance will be during the next ministerial meeting on politics and security affairs," Soehandoyo said.

When asked why Ghalib would not summon the involved ministers, Soehandoyo said the Attorney General's Office was committed to respecting the principles of openness, togetherness, friendship and coordination.

"Such an approach will allow us to share information. A tight- knit cooperation will help us cope with the matter," he said.

"We learned a lot from the corruption case involving (legislator) Nurdin Halid, in which the court returned a not guilty verdict due to lack of evidence," Soehandoyo added, referring to a decision by the Ujungpandang District Court in South Sulawesi to acquit Nurdin of charges that he swindled money from a local cooperatives center.

Speaking at Wednesday's inauguration ceremony, Ghalib said the Attorney General's Office managed to save state funds and assets worth Rp 180 trillion (US$20.7 billion) during its nationwide campaign against corruption, collusion and nepotism.

Ghalib did not say explain when the campaign began or when it would end. It also was unclear whether the campaign targeted former president Soeharto and his family. (43/amd)