Deputies get the ax at Attorney General's Office

JAKARTA (JP): Attorney General Andi M. Ghalib is scheduled to lead a ceremony on Wednesday marking a major reshuffle in the Attorney General's Office, with four of five deputy attorney generals being replaced.

One of the deputy attorney generals who will be replaced is Antonius Sujata, the deputy attorney general for special crimes. He led the investigation into the collusion, corruption and nepotism allegedly committed by former president Soeharto during his 32 years in power. Antonius will be replaced by Ramelan, the deputy attorney general for general crimes, the spokesman for the Attorney General's Office, Soehandoyo, said.

Soehandoyo said Ramelan's position would be filled by M. Rahman, a former member of the attorney general's staff.

W.H. Jacob Rahim Saleh will be installed as the new deputy attorney general for state and civil administrative affairs, replacing Soehandjono. Syahmardan Lubis, the former head of Jakarta Prosecutor's Office, will fill Jacob's position as the deputy attorney general for supervision.

Antonius, who held his position for less than one year, will become a member of the attorney general's staff.

On Dec. 9 last year, Antonius, accompanied by Ramelan and former deputy attorney general for intelligence affairs Syamsu Djalaludin, questioned Soeharto for the first time at the Jakarta Prosecutor's Office.

Syamsu was replaced earlier this year for unspecified reasons shortly after a scanned telephone conversation allegedly between President B.J. Habibie and Ghalib was printed by a monthly magazine and broadcast by private television and radio stations.

In the telephone conversation, Habibie and Ghalib gave the impression that the probe into Soeharto's alleged corruption was being taken 'casually'.

Recently, Time magazine ran a report alleging that former president Soeharto and his children amassed a US$15 billion fortune during his 32-year rule.

Time said some staff members at the Attorney General's Office were not convinced the investigation into Soeharto was serious. It quoted an official at the office as saying: "Ghalib is on a mission to protect Soeharto."

"This (the replacements) has nothing to do with anyone's mistakes. It's just to refresh the working situation and to maintain innovations from the staffers," Soehandoyo said.

He dismissed speculation the replacements were linked to recent reports run in local media on the Soeharto investigation, complete with the transcripts of the questioning of the former president.

There has been speculation that the transcripts were leaked to the media by personnel in the Attorney General's Office.

Under Ghalib, the office has been the target of sharp criticism from political figures and observers due to its slowness in investigating Soeharto's alleged corruption. (emf)