Ghalib to probe Soeharto's wealth

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)