Farikha to report Rusdihardjo over defamation

Farikha to report Rusdihardjo over defamation

JAKARTA (JP): Siti Farikha, a Semarang-based businesswoman who
is closely related with the multibillion rupiah State Logistics
Agency (Bulog) scandal, is planning to report former police chief
Gen. Rusdihardjo to the National Police Headquarters for alleged
defamation.

Farikha's lawyer Indra Sahnun Lubis told reporters on Friday
that Rusdihardjo had wrongfully accused his client of having
received Rp 5 billion from President Abdurrahman Wahid which was
allegedly taken from Bulog.

"Bu Farikha has a document which can prove that she got the
money from (businessman) Aris Junaidi. Rusdihardjo should be able
to prove his statement which said that Bu Farikha had received
the money from Gus Dur," Indra said while referring to the
President by his nickname.

A special committee which was set up by the House of
Representatives to investigate the scandal held a hearing to
listen to Rusdihardjo's statement on the case on Tuesday.

Media reports said that during the hearing, Rusdihardjo
testified that Farikha had received a Rp 5 billion check from Gus
Dur and said that he had been asked by Gus Dur to create a
scenario as if Farikha had received the fund from Aris.

Siti returned the money to the police soon after the scandal
made headlines in April.

Aris himself admitted earlier to having received the money
from the President's masseur Alip Agung Suwondo, a prime suspect
in the case, but said he had no idea if the money was part of the
Rp 35 billion fund taken from Bulog's employees foundation,
Yanatera.

Lawyer Indra said Rusdihardjo might have made the statement
before the committee because he had hard feelings toward Gus Dur
as the President had replaced him in September after being in his
position for only nine months.

"Rusdihardjo has also been contaminated by politics," Indra
said.

Indra said that the committee had been doing the investigation
only to prove that Gus Dur had been involved in the case instead
of finding the truth.

The lawyer also said that the establishment of the committee
had been illegal.

"Article 2 and 3 of the Law No. 6/1954 stipulate that such a
committee should be listed in the state documents. I checked it
and the committee was not listed," Indra said.

Separately, National Police chief Gen. Surojo Bimantoro said
he would not respond to media reports on Rusdihardjo's statement
before the committee, calling the reports unofficial.

"The hearing was supposed to be a closed one. We'll respond to
his (Rusdihardjo's statement) only if the special committee gives
us an official recommendation," Bimantoro told reporters at the
National Police Headquarters.

When contacted by The Jakarta Post by phone on Thursday,
Rusdihardjo did not confirm or deny the media reports saying that
none of his statements before the committee should be made
public. (jaw)