Beddu placed under house arrest due to ill-health

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)