Ghalib doubts tapped chat's authenticity
Ghalib doubts tapped chat's authenticity
JAKARTA (JP): Attorney General Lt. Gen. A.M. Ghalib on Friday
again expressed his doubts about the authenticity of the recently
leaked bugged conversation he allegedly had with President B.J.
Habibie. At the same time he blasted the press for exaggerating
the issue.
Ghalib also told the press after an unscheduled meeting with
Habibie at Merdeka Palace that he would hold a hearing with the
House of Representatives (DPR) to clarify his side of the
controversy.
"Whether the voices in the cassette are truly the President's
and mine, further evidence should be sought because with
sophisticated technology it is not impossible these voices were
either engineered or manipulated," Ghalib said.
Ghalib was initially reluctant to talk to journalists, but
later spoke briefly to them after distributing a written
statement.
"The (scandal) has had an extreme effect on my concentration
while I am handling big cases which need quick and thorough
solutions," he hinted.
Habibie has implicitly confirmed the authenticity of the
bugged conversation, and ordered Armed Forces (ABRI) Commander
Gen. Wiranto to trace the phone tappers.
A palace official said on Friday Habibie was upset with
Ghalib's continued denial because it would only undermine his own
credibility.
"The publication of the tapped conversation without my
confirmation has indeed violated our rights and it was a very
unpleasant act," Ghalib said. He added he had not heard the
tapped communication, but promised to explain the matter to the
House of Representatives on Tuesday.
He conceded the magazine had in fact solicited his
confirmation prior to the publication but said he was too busy to
meet with its journalists at the time.
Ghalib also acknowledged that Habibie often telephoned him,
and that they sometimes used their cellular phones. But he
insisted the President never asked him to violate the law.
"Never in any conversation has he ever ordered me to do
anything against the law or the prevailing legal procedures," he
asserted.
Minister/State Secretary Akbar Tandjung, who is Golkar
chairman, described as "irrelevant" the United Development Party
(PPP) faction's motion to summon Habibie over the issue. He said
he had instructed the Golkar faction to block any attempt to
summon the President to the House of Representatives.
Former Golkar leader Sarwono Kusumaatmadja said in Bandung on
Friday that political interests would determine whether Habibie
would really appear at the House to clarify the matter.
He believed certain factions' motion to summon Habibie was
more of a marketing gimmick of their parties in the run-up to the
June 7 elections. (prb/43)