Bulog suspects fooling the public: Amien

Bulog suspects fooling the public: Amien

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Amien Rais
said the returning of Bulog funds to state investigators showed
that the money was never spent for food distribution as
originally claimed, which meant that the suspects had fooled the
public.

"We are suddenly given such a funny story. But it proves that
there had never been any distribution of food (which was supposed
to be financed with the money)," Amien said.

Amien was commenting on the return of Rp 32.5 billion to state
investigators, of a total Rp 40 billion belonging to the State
Logistics Agency (Bulog) that was allegedly misused by Golkar
Party executives, who claimed to have spent the money to
distribute food for the poor in 1999.

However, Barman Zahir, a spokesman for the Attorney General's
Office in Jakarta, revealed to the media on Saturday, that the
money had been returned by Winfried Simatupang, a contractor
hired by the then Golkar-dominated government of president B.J.
Habibie to disburse food packages to the poor.

The money, Bamran said, was to be paid back to the state in
installments, with the first having been made last week and the
final one to be made before the end of this month.

House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung, who is
concurrently chairman of the Golkar Party, was detained by the
Attorney General's Office on Thursday as a suspect in the
corruption case, soon after a third session of questioning.

Akbar, a former Cabinet minister/state secretary, claimed to
have been ordered by then president Habibie in 1999 to use the
money from Bulog to pay for the distribution of food to the poor.

Amien recalled that the public had believed that the Raudhatul
Jannah Foundation, a body assigned for emergency relief
operations, and its contractor in charge of the humanitarian
project really existed.

"But it all turns out to be an illusion. That's the drama of
Bulogate II, it must be followed up," Amien said, referring to
the scandal.

Amien refused to make any further comments, simply demanding
that the Attorney General's Office handle the case transparently,
fairly and seriously.

Meanwhile, chairman of the National Awakening Party (PKB)
faction Ali Masykur Musa, shared Amien's remarks, saying that the
return of Rp 32.5 billion clearly showed there was deception
regarding the humanitarian project in 1999.

Both Amien and Ali agreed that the latest development already
constituted solid enough ground for legislators to demand the
establishment of a special inquiry committee into the high-
profile scandal.

A plan to set up such a special committee at a plenary meeting
on March 7 was postponed until March 18. The postponement
followed previous successes by Golkar to fight against the
establishment of the committee.

Akbar Tandjung's inconsistencies:

1. Akbar initially denied receiving the money directly from
Bulog.
2. Akbar said Dadang Sukandar, accepted the money for the
humanitarian project on behalf of he Raudhatul Foundation.
3. Three ministers (Haryono Suyono, Rahardi Ramelan and Muladi)
were informed that the Raudhatul Foundation had been named a
recipient of the money.
4. The foundation was recommended by Haryono Suyono.

1. Former Bulog chief Rahardi Ramelan and former Bulog deputy
finance chief Achmad Ruskandar disputed Akbar's testimony. Akbar
later admitted that several checks written by Achmad Ruskander
had been placed on his desk.
2. Evidence shows that checks from Bulog were accepted by Golkar
treasurers Fadel Muhammad and MS Hidayat.
3. All three ministers deny any knowledge of the foundation.
4. Haryono claimed he never made such a recommendation.