Ghalib to probe Soeharto's wealth

JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie has assigned Attorney General Andi M. Ghalib to chair a government team charged with investigating the wealth of former president Soeharto, a senior minister said on Wednesday.

Coordinating Minister for Development Supervision and State Administrative Reform Hartarto Sastrosoenarto said the team would include senior officials from National Police Headquarters and the Development Finance Comptroller (BPKP).

"Pak Harto will soon be notified of a planned investigation into his personal wealth," Hartarto said before attending a four- hour weekly Cabinet meeting at the Bina Graha presidential office.

Habibie told visiting members of the Supreme Advisory Council on Tuesday that he had ordered a special team to investigate Soeharto and his family, following a recent statement by the former president that he did not have any savings or accounts overseas.

The President promised the council members that the team would question Soeharto no later than Thursday.

Ghalib also promised that the team would treat Soeharto as it would any other citizen under the law. "We will treat him equally like any other ordinary citizen," he said.

But he told reporters that he would not impose a travel ban on Soeharto since the former general had promised not to leave the country.

Minister of Justice Muladi said the questioning of Soeharto would mean the beginning of a legal inquiry into practices by the country's former first family.

"It will be probed and studied whether (his wealth) was obtained through corruption or not," Muladi separately said.

The minister said the team would likely visit and question the former president at his residence on Jl. Cendana, Central Jakarta.

"It will depend on the situation. However, if we talk about the principle that everyone is equal before the law, the questioning should be held at the Attorney General's Office," he said before the Cabinet meeting.

Ghalib praised Soeharto's readiness for the investigation, saying that the former executive's goodwill would be very helpful to uncover the extent of his wealth.

He hoped people would remain patient until the team could conclude its investigation.

"We'll see whether the former president's denial of his personal wealth, including bank deposits, was true. People should just trust this team," Ghalib said.

Ghalib did not rule out the possibility of the team cooperating with independent bodies, such as the Movement of Concerned Citizens on State Assets (Gempita) and Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW). "They will not be directly involved, but maybe we will ask some information from them."

Habibie's initiative to carry out the investigation has won the wary support of political and economic analysts, and also from public figures.

"President Habibie's initiative to let the investigation start was certainly to win the people's sympathy. However, it should not turn out to be lip service only," noted political observer Arbi Sanit said.

Similarly, the rector of the Purwokerto-based Jendral Soedirman University in Central Java, Rubiyanto Misman, said the team's success "would restore Habibie's credibility".

A political observer of the National Institute of Science (LIPI), Muhammad A.S. Hikam, said the team should not stop with the investigation of Soeharto and his family members, but should also query the former president's close aides.

"It's quite possible that Soeharto has transferred his money to somebody else's account," Hikam said.

ICW chairman, Laksamana Sukardi, suggested that Habibie establish an independent anti-corruption commission to conduct a thorough investigation into all alleged corrupt officials.

"I really respect President Habibie's political will to investigate Soeharto's personal wealth. Yet, the investigation should cover other alleged corrupt officials," he said.

Meanwhile, National Mandate Party (PAN) chairman Amien Rais said in Ujungpandang on Tuesday that his party would establish its own team to investigate Soeharto's wealth.

"I will ask for approval from President Habibie and leaders of the Armed Forces," he said.

Calls for a thorough and serious investigation into the wealth of Soeharto and other officials also came from some 300 Semarang high school students on Wednesday and during demonstrations in Jakarta and other areas.

"The government must have the courage to investigate any corrupt officials," the students shouted. (prb/byg/har/45/30/imn)