Ginandjar to enter detention house
Ginandjar to enter detention house
JAKARTA (JP): The Attorney General's Office on Saturday issued
an arrest warrant for former minister of mines and energy
Ginandjar Kartasasmita to prevent him from escaping the probe
into a US$24.8 million corruption scandal.
Sudibyo Saleh, the case's chief investigator, told The Jakarta
Post by phone that he read the warrant (issued by Deputy Attorney
General for special crimes Bachtiar Fachri Nasution) at the
Pertamina Hospital on Saturday.
"The suspect (Ginandjar) will be arrested for a 20-day period,
which will take effect from the day he recovers from his illness.
And the detention could be extended if needed by the
prosecution," he said.
Sudibyo said Ginandjar's arrest needed no special permission
from Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Adm. Widodo A.S. as the
military leadership has entrusted all matters of the
investigation to the Attorney General's Office.
"Ginandjar's lawyers could oppose the arrest but they should
comply with the procedures stipulated in Law No. 3/1971 on
corruption," he said.
The law stipulates that the trial for a military defendant,
known as a connection trial, will be held at a district court
with combined judges from the military and the court. Meanwhile,
the attorney general will act as a coordinating investigator.
The issuance of the arrest warrant followed an order from
President Abdurrahman Wahid to the attorney general on Thursday.
Ginandjar, a retired three-star Air Force general who is now
deputy chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly, is alleged
to have had a role in a graft case involving state oil and gas
company Pertamina and a local partner PT Ustraindo Petro Gas,
causing US$24.8 million in losses to the state.
Investigators have said that Pertamina had, while Ginandjar
was minister of mines and energy, paid the costs of oil
development incurred by Ustraindo in four oil fields, although
the contracts required the company to cover the expenses. The
state lost $18 million.
The government and Pertamina later amended the production-
sharing contracts with Ustraindo, resulting in a smaller
government oil take, causing another $6.8 million in losses to
the state.
Ginandjar, his successor I.B. Sudjana, former Pertamina
president Faisal Abda'oe, and Ustraindo's president Praptono H.
Upojo have been declared as suspects in the case.
Meanwhile, Muchyar Yara, a member of Ginandjar's legal defense
team told the Post that they rejected their client's arrest and
would file a lawsuit against it, calling the move unlawful.
"The Attorney General's Office has no authority to arrest our
client because it has not secured any permission from the
military leadership," he said.
Separately, TNI spokesman Rear Marshal Graito Usodo said the
military headquarters had no objections to the investigation as
long as it was held in accordance with the law.
"TNI expects this case will not be manipulated as a political
commodity," he said, as quoted by Antara.
He asked the Attorney General's Office to coordinate with the
military prosecutors in conducting the investigation, citing that
the case should be tried jointly. (rms)