Ghalib grilled over phone talk

JAKARTA (JP): Attorney General A.M. Ghalib appeared for three hours on Tuesday before the House of Representatives (DPR), facing sharp criticism from legislators over the scanned phone conversation he allegedly had with President B.J. Habibie.

Looking calm and collected except for persistently drumming the table with his fingers, Ghalib was at ease with almost all of the questions fired at him by at least 15 members of the House Commission I on political affairs and security. He remained composed and, at the end of the session, unchanged in his previous assertion of innocence.

He later told legislators informally he was fully prepared for the session, saying: "I have taken a chicken, let alone (mere words)." The remark prompted laughter from a packed House chamber audience.

Last November, student protesters presented Ghalib with a live chicken, a reference to his perceived inability to investigate Soeharto for alleged power abuses.

The active Army lieutenant general claimed he received the legislator's criticism as a "whip" which would spur him to better perform.

The inquiry was prompted by a recent leaked phone conversation between two men who sounded like Ghalib and Habibie. The two officials indicated an intention to desist from pushing through with the probe of Soeharto.

In a departure from his previous stance, Ghalib did not deny the conversation occurred. He claimed he did not remember the occasion, as he talked frequently with Habibie about various matters by telephone or less-secure cellular phones.

Besides, Ghalib maintained, the identity of the voices remained unclear.

He said he hoped further analysis would clarify the matter. He failed to say whether an inquiry was underway.

Legislators warned Ghalib he was jeopardizing the credibility of the whole government, which is under the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) direction to eradicate corruption.

"Bapak (Ghalib) is risking Habibie's reputation as the holder of the MPR's mandate," Ariyanti Bambang Sigit of Golkar said.

"Why should (you) sacrifice us all because of Soeharto? (Why did you) confuse Habibie and the people?" she said.

United Development Party (PPP) legislators Ghazali Abbas Adan and Muslich recited Koranic verses to remind Ghalib that it was sinful to lie.

One of the verses condemns those who show leniency toward abuses by the power holders while being strict toward the weak who made mistakes.

Ghalib thanked the legislators but said: "I never lied. To whom should I lie anyway?"

He insisted the conversation did not indicate an attempt to circumvent the law.

"There's nothing that breaks the law in the conversation," he said.

Ghalib added he declared the case closed when he briefed the media shortly before he left for the United States recently.

He charged the media with exaggerating the matter as if there was a breach of the law.

"It's this thing that I denied ... never has there been an instruction (from Habibie) to me to break the law."

He warned the legislators the case had been politicized.

Earlier, PPP legislator Hussein Umar said he was very disappointed because Ghalib made light of the phone scanning scandal.

"I urge you to pursue those who did the tapping," he said.

Ghalib later revealed police were still investigating the case.

Countering criticism that his office was dragging its feet on the Soeharto investigation, Ghalib appealed for the legislators' understanding of the "complicated" legal procedures involved.

Djuhad Madja of the PPP faction accused Ghalib of "whining" and of offering lame excuses.

"Sorry to say that," Djuhad said, tempering his harsh remark.

Ghalib retorted his office would be accused of overstepping its authority and that of other government offices if it bulldozed its way ahead.

"It's (investigating Soeharto) like cutting a big tree deep in the forest. You could not just jump into the forest and cut it down, but you have to start from the periphery ... or you'll end up devoured by tigers or big snakes."

Progress has been made in the investigation, he claimed.

A telecommunications expert from Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, Roy Suryo, said in an interview with the Elshinta radio station on Tuesday he had studied the recording of the conversation. He said he compared it with a recording of Habibie's voice during his inauguration last May.

Roy said he found similarities in the voices. However, he insisted the Habibie-Ghalib conversation was not scanned but a direct recording.

As yet, no details were available on whether the police have conducted voice imprint tests.

Instead, they have summoned several media executives and journalists, focusing their probe into a possible violation of Articles 14 and 15 of Law No. 1/1946 on the dissemination of false information or news which stirs public unrest.

At the hearing, Ghalib revealed that between April 1997 and March 1998 his office handled 728 cases of corruption which had caused the state Rp 621.7 billion in losses. The office was able to recover Rp 4.6 billion, he said.

Between April 1998 and February 1999, the office handled 1,284 cases of corruption which caused a loss of Rp 2 trillion. The office was able to recover Rp 76.3 billion. (aan)