Beddu placed under house arrest due to ill-health

JAKARTA (JP): Former chief of the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) Beddu Amang has been returned to his home in South Jakarta and placed under house arrest after spending the previous week confined in the Attorney General Office's detention center.

Beddu, who has been held at the detention center for graft charges since Nov. 28, was believed to have been taken back to his residence on Monday evening due to his ailing health.

"Prosecutors believe that the suspect will not flee, destroy evidence, or commit similar crimes. Moreover, he is still under surveillance. If we find him attempting to leave his residence, we'll take him back," Attorney General's Office spokesman Muljohardjo told journalists.

Beddu was charged for his alleged involvement in the land exchange scam in which trials on a similar case have convicted the youngest son of former president Soeharto, Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra and Ricardo Gelael.

The 1995 deal between Bulog and wholesaler PT Goro Batara Sakti, where Tommy and Ricardo were the commissioners and executives of the firm respectively, caused Rp 76.7 billion in state losses.

The two were sentenced to 18 months in prison by the Supreme Court. But Tommy is at large and was declared a fugitive on Nov. 3. Ricardo is serving his term at Cipinang Penitentiary.

Beddu's indictment was initially dropped last year on grounds that the prosecutors failed to obtain presidential approval required to question a state official. Beddu was then a member of the People's Consultative Assembly.

Beddu's lawyer Mohamad Assegaf said on Tuesday that the team of lawyers had proposed for a house arrest to the prosecutors a day after their client was placed at the detention center due to Beddu's health.

"Beddu is suffering from diabetes and just the day previous to him being brought to the detention center he suffered spasms in his stomach. His condition has worsened during his period of detention so it's better for my client to be removed (from detention)," he told journalists.

"Moreover, there was no urgency for the detention. My client will not escape any legal preceedings or skip the trial," Assegaf added.

General prosecutor Fachmi said earlier that the detention was aimed at avoiding the ability of Beddu to hamper legal proceedings similar to Tommy who had escaped the execution of his sentence.(bby)