Attorney general to stay out of Bank Bali case

YOGYAKARTA (JP): The Attorney General's Office will allow the police to complete their investigation into an alleged bank scandal which many believe involves the country's political elite.

Speaking after a seminar on the Anticorruption Law here, acting Attorney General Ismudjoko said his office would avoid meddling in the investigation process now underway even though his office's intelligence department had started a separate probe into the scandal after it became public knowledge in July.

"The case is a common crime, which according to the Banking Law lies in the police's domain. I would be sentenced to a maximum five years in jail if I intervened in the police investigation," Ismudjoko said.

The Attorney General's Office is allowed only to investigate special crimes, including corruption and subversion.

The scandal revolves around a Rp 546 billion commission paid by Bank Bali to private company PT Era Giat Persada for its service in recouping interbank loans extended to Bank Dagang Nasional Indonesia, which has been closed down.

Speculation was rife since then with the company, which is owned by Golkar treasurer Setya Novanto, being linked to attempts to raise funds for President B.J. Habibie's bid to resume power.

Police have questioned eight people and named three of them, including former Bank Bali director Rudy Ramli, suspects in the high-profile scandal.

Ismudjoko said prosecutors were waiting for the completion of police dossiers and would be ready to prosecute the suspects.

But he said he was unaware of the fact that Rudy acknowledged a widely circulated journal purportedly describing the involvement of Habibie's inner circle and insisted that he had never written a statement, which was read out by Minister/State Secretary Muladi, denying the existence of the journal.

"It's not my business but the police's," Ismudjoko said.

He disagreed with Muladi and the police's suggestion to give Rudy a lie-detector test, saying that experience told him such a test was unnecessary to help him cope with a crime investigation.

Former attorney general Soedjono Atmonegoro, who also spoke at the seminar, agreed to the use of lie-detector test only if it was also applied to Muladi or even Habibie.

"Who asked him (Muladi) to read the statement of denial? It's the President isn't it?" Soedjono said.

Muladi, who is also minister of justice, said he was doubtful about Rudy's statement made before a House of Representatives Commission VIII session on Thursday and told Rudy to take the test. Muladi said he did not know who drew up the statement denying the journal's existence.

Soedjono, who served only a three-month term before being replaced by Andi Ghalib last year, suspected a conspiracy to cover up the bank scandal.

Law expert Hamid Awaluddin concurred, saying Rudy's revelation before the House was evidence of the state lying to the public.

"The lie is unforgiven because it will cause the people to lose trust in the government. If the government is no longer trusted, a state starts to deteriorate," Hamid of Hasanuddin University in Ujungpandang said.

Meanwhile, political observer Ichlasul Amal criticized the legislators for piling pressure on Rudy in order to make him confess to taking part in the scandal.

"It was an unhealthy precedent for law enforcement efforts. The legislators should have not threatened Rudy with contempt of the legislature," Amal said. (23/27)