Attorney General to investigate bribery scandal

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)