Former aide says Rachman intended to hide wealth

Former aide says Rachman intended to hide wealth

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A former aide revealed on Friday alleged efforts by
Attorney General M.A. Rachman to conceal some of his assets
before he submitted his wealth declaration to the Public
Servants' Wealth Audit Commission (KPKPN) last year.

Kito Irkamini, who was Rachman's subordinate when he was the
deputy attorney general for general crimes, said Rachman asked
him to help transfer his ownership of a luxury house in Graha
Cinere, Depok, into another person's name. Kiko then advised
Rachman to assign the title to one of his family members in a bid
to circumvent the procedures.

"Pak Rachman later decided to assign the title to the house to
his eldest daughter, Chairunnisa, and asked me to arrange it,"
Kito told reporters after making a statement to the KPKPN team
examining irregularities found in Rachman's wealth declaration.

Kito, who had been given the job of arranging the construction
of the house, claimed he had no idea why Rachman wanted to have
it excluded form his personal assets. The house cost a reported
Rp 1.8 billion.

Rachman borrowed Rp 480 million from Kito to finance the
project.

In a clarification to the KPKPN, Rachman said the house had
belonged to Chairunnisa since July 2001, but his daughter sold it
to businessman Husain Tanoto last January for Rp 950 million.

Chairunnisa, who is a dentist, told the inquiry team that she
needed money to open a dentistry practice. Husain, she said, had
paid for the house in cash and also with medical equipment. But
she still had to refurnish the house.

Husain denied Chairunnisa's account, saying he had only paid
cash.

A source close to the KPKPN inquiry revealed the existence of
a document drawn in December 2001, which Chairunnisa said
evidenced the transfer of the title to the house from her father
to her. But, the source said, the document also set out Rachman's
debt to Kito for the construction of the house.

"And it smells fishy that just several weeks after the
document was drawn up, the house was sold at far below market
value. I suspect it was an effort by Rachman to conceal his
obligation to pay the debt and his relationship with Kito," the
source told reporters.

Kito said that Rachman had promised him a reward if he waived
the unpaid debt.

Later in the day, the KPKPN team questioned Untung Udji
Santoso, the director of investigations at the office of the
deputy attorney general for special crimes, over rumors about
Suryo Tan -- Husain Tanoto's son -- whom many believe acts as a
middleman in the office. Rachman claimed Udji could clarify the
rumors.

"There's no middleman in my office ... I don't really know
Suryo Tan. I only met him twice. One of the occasions was on Jl.
Denpasar," Udji said, referring to Rachman's official residence.