Former ministers testify in Goro corruption scandal

Former ministers testify in Goro corruption scandal

JAKARTA (JP): Former finance minister Mar'ie Muhammad and
former state minister/state secretary Moerdiono testified on
Friday in the Goro corruption case at the South Jakarta District
Court.

Dressed in a green batik shirt and dark trousers, Mar'ie,
known as "Mr. Clean", appeared nervous when delivering his
testimony.

He apologized to the court for his anxiousness.

"I'm sorry your Honor, as it is my first time giving
testimony. It was my first time diginiin (to be treated like this
time)," Mar'ie said, after presiding judge Jalius Amin told him
to relax.

During the session, Mar'ie, who chairs an independent
corruption watch body, the Indonesian Transparency Society,
repeatedly prompted smiles and laughter from the judges,
prosecutor, lawyers and spectators.

Moerdiono's appearance also triggered laughter, especially
when he asked the presiding judge's permission to shake hands
with the judges and lawyers.

"Am I allowed to shake hands with the judges... and the
lawyers?" he asked in his characteristic slow manner before
leaving the courtroom.

The two were appointed Cabinet ministers by former president
Soeharto, whose son was named a suspect in the corruption scandal
which has inflicted losses estimated at Rp 95 billion to the
state.

Mar'ie testified that an exchange land deal between the State
Logistics Agency (Bulog) and a wholesale firm PT Goro Batara
Sakti was not conducted through an open tender, as the firm had
been appointed by then president Soeharto.

"Of course the president's appointment was higher than a
ministerial decree," he said.

He said a finance ministerial decree required a land exchange
deal worth more than 10 billion to be carried out through an open
tender with presidential approval.

"I did not approve the land exchange deal. I just passed on
Bulog's proposal to the State Secretariat to obtain approval,
since Bulog said the deal was approved by the president."

The indictment statement said Goro's former president, Ricardo
Gelael, along with Soeharto's youngest son Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala
Putra, Goro's former president commissioner, and Bulog's former
chief Beddu Amang, were charged with corruption of Rp 95 billion
in the land exchange deal.

Tommy was tried in a separate courtroom on Friday, while
Beddu's indictment was dropped by the court. President B.J.
Habibie refused the prosecutor permission for Beddu, who is a
member of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), to be
questioned.

Mar'ie said he did not know whether the deal had caused state
losses.

He said he did not know or have any relationship with the
defendant, Ricardo.

"I just know Ricardo here and now (in the courtroom). Maybe we
met at a wedding party. I don't remember. But, I could say here
that we (his ministry) never contacted private companies for any
deals."

He said he knew Bulog exchanged its 50-hectare warehouse
complex in Kelapa Gading for some 150-hectares of land in
Marunda. Both areas are located in North Jakarta.

"But I did not know details of the deal. I just knew about the
administrative process at the beginning of the deal."

Moerdiono's testimony was marked by a consistent inability to
recollect events surrounding the exchange. To prosecutor D.
Munthe he repeatedly replied: "Sorry, I forget."

But when Munthe showed Moerdiono a memorandum from Beddu which
stated that the land deal had been discussed with Soeharto and
Moerdiono, the former minister acknowledged the discussion.

"But I don't remember if Ricardo or Tommy had visited me to
discuss the exchange deal. It should be checked in the guest book
at the State Secretariat."

He said the president, through the State Secretariat, approved
the land exchange deal based on a suggestion from the finance
minister Mar'ie.

But Moerdiono acknowledged that final responsibility for such
a deal was with the president.

More witnesses are set to provide testimonies on Wednesday in
the corruption case.(jun)