Ginandjar leaves questioning session without permission
Ginandjar leaves questioning session without permission
JAKARTA (JP): Former minister of mines and energy Ginandjar
Kartasasmita, who is being queried over a corruption case, on
Wednesday surprised everyone by leaving the Attorney General's
Office without permission.
After being in the Office for around five and a half hours,
Ginandjar came out at 3:50 p.m.
"I'm not feeling well. My left arm is sort of numb. I have to
see the doctor," he told reporters.
Asked about his illness, he said that it was a "common disease
for someone who is almost 60 years old".
As there had been no attempt to stop Ginandjar from leaving,
people panicked as he hastily got into his Volvo.
He was followed by his lawyers -- O.C. Kaligis, Mohammad
Assegaf and Muchyar Yara -- and three military lawyers from the
Indonesian Military (TNI) Legal Department.
Head of the investigation team Barman Zahir ran out of the
building and started banging on the roof of Ginandjar's car.
"Please, don't leave. The doctor's going to be here soon!"
Barman shouted.
But he just sped off.
Barman and security officers immediately told guards at the
front gate through walkie talkie to block the way. But, the
guards failed to recognize the order and let the car pass through
the gate.
According to Barman, Ginandjar had complained about feeling
ill and asked permission to see his private doctor at nearby
Pertamina Hospital.
The investigation team, however, refused to let him go, saying
that they were going to send the doctor to the Office.
Muchyar earlier told reporters that the Office had offered its
own doctor to examine Ginandjar, but the latter refused.
"It's not that he doesn't trust the doctor, but he feels more
comfortable with his private doctor. Besides, it's a patient's
right," he said.
Later on, Muchyar said in a written statement that they had
asked permission to see the doctor, but they were left waiting in
uncertainty for hours. So, they decided to leave.
Spokesman to the Attorney General's Office Muljohardjo said
Ginandjar left while the investigation team were outside the
room.
"Probably he felt that he could not stand it anymore and
decided to leave," he told a media conference.
He said that Ginandjar will be questioned again on Thursday.
"He might be questioned as a suspect, not a witness as of
Wednesday," he added.
Ginandjar was questioned over a corruption case involving
state oil and gas company Pertamina and PT Ustraindo Petro Gas.
He testified about his successor Ida Bagus Sudjana, former
Pertamina president Faisal Abda'oe and PT Ustraindo director
Praptono H. Upojo, who have been named suspects in the corruption
case, which allegedly resulted in US$24.8 million in state
losses.
The investigation has earlier declared that deals signed by
Pertamina and PT Ustraindo had violated regulations on technical
assistance contracts as they covered oil fields that were still
productive.
The investigation also showed that while regulations required
PT Ustraindo to pay for the development of the contract areas, it
was Pertamina that bore the costs of development, causing $18
million in losses to the state.
The contracts with PT Ustraindo covered oil fields in Bunyu,
East Kalimantan, Prabumulih and Pendopo in South Sumatra, and
Jatibarang on the north coast of West Java.
In February and March 1995, Sudjana allegedly approved
amendments to the contracts with PT Ustraindo, resulting in the
government receiving a smaller percentage of the oil from these
fields, causing $6.8 million in losses to the state.
Meanwhile, Golkar Party Chairman Akbar Tandjung said the
Attorney General's Office should feel free to proceed with the
investigation.
"If Ginandjar needs to be interrogated, arrested or a travel
plan placed upon him, then please do so as we all have to comply
with the law," Akbar told journalists on Wednesday.
"I believe that Ginandjar will follow the regulations
otherwise he would not have come all the way from the United
States to fulfill the summons," he said. (hdn/dja)