Chicken for Ghalib over Soeharto probe
JAKARTA (JP): Disappointed and angry students on Tuesday presented a black chicken to Attorney General Lt. Gen. Muhammad Ghalib when he persistently refused to set a deadline for the investigation into former president Soeharto's wealth.
"I don't want to precede God (by promising), because this process is quite complex," Ghalib told a group of 20 students from Trisakti University and the Communication Forum for Jakarta Student Senates (FKSMJ), at his office. The students had managed to enter the building and voice demands that Soeharto be tried for alleged abuses of power and amassing an illegal fortune.
"Do not abuse the name of God Pak," a student shouted.
Outside the Attorney General's office, about 1,000 chanting students waited for the results of the negotiations.
At least 300 students remained until late evening on the compounds but around 10:30 p.m. security people were seen trying to evacuate them.
Ghalib dismissed their allegations that he had done nothing to pursue the matter since he became Attorney General in June because he did not have the nerve to enforce the law.
He claimed that over the past five months he had resolved 600 percent more corruption cases than were resolved all of last year. Ghalib replaced Soedjono C. Atmonegoro on June 15, almost three weeks after President B.J. Habibie established his cabinet following Soeharto's resignation on May 21.
In their statement read out by a student, Dandy, the students said Soeharto should be tried for committing political, economic and legal crimes during his rule. They also insisted that Habibie and Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto were legally responsible for the Black Friday tragedy on Nov. 13, when protesting students clashed with security personnel, ending in the deaths of a number of students.
"The probe over his (Soeharto's) riches must be completed within one month, at the most," said Dandy.
Upon realizing that they would not be able to persuade Ghalib to agree to the deadline, some female students approached Ghalib and handed a chicken to the Attorney General. Ghalib's assistant grabbed the chicken from his hand.
"You are just a chicken and not a tiger," read a poster the student's waved as they left the shocked three-star general.
"I have worked day and night so why don't you trust me?" Ghalib complained.
Minister/State Secretary Akbar Tandjung has said that Ghalib's office was only able to find Rp 21 billion (US$2.7 million) in Soeharto's domestic bank accounts. Some parties, including Forbes magazine, have estimated Soeharto's fortune at $4 billion.
Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes Anton Sujata said on Tuesday his office had found that Soeharto owns three hectares of land in Yogyakarta, controls hundreds of thousand of hectares of forest concession rights in East Kalimantan and has stakes in several private firms. "All of them in his own name," said Anton.
Head of ABRI's Legal Affairs Maj. Gen. Timor Manurung said that Soeharto has not asked for legal representation from the department, although as a retired general he has the right to it.
Meanwhile on Tuesday, Hutomo Mandala Putra, Soeharto's youngest son, underwent questioning at the Attorney General's Office for a second straight day in connection with a multimillion dollar land scam, Antara news agency reported.
Hutomo, known as Tommy, arrived at the office at 8:10 a.m., just before the building was besieged by student demonstrators.
The questioning ended two hours later, the news agency said.
Barman Zahir, spokesman for the Attorney General's Office, said that a travel ban has been imposed on Tommy, as well as Beddu Amang, former chief of the National Logistics Agency (Bulog), and another businessman, Ricardo Gelael.
Tommy was questioned over the sale of Bulog's property in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, to PT Goro Batara Sakti, a giant supermarket chain in which he and Gelael owned some shares.
Bulog was estimated to have lost Rp 52.5 billion ($7 million) in the deal. Anton Sujata said on Monday that Amang and Gelael have been declared suspects.
Gelael and Tommy owned 40 percent of the shares in Goro, while the rest belonged to cooperatives. (edt/rms/prb)