Ginandjar's graft case litmus test for Susilo
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's pledge to eradicate rampant corruption could be seriously tested after prosecutors announced on Friday that they had halted an investigation into former mines and energy minister and current legislative leader Ginandjar Kartasasmita's graft case.
The Attorney General's Office spokesman RJ Suhandoyo said on Friday that Deputy Attorney General for special crimes Sudhono Iswahyudi signed on Oct. 12 a letter declaring that there was not sufficient evidence to pursue investigations against Ginandjar, the current Regional Representatives Council (DPD) chairman and key Golkar Party figure.
"We have done everything, but we've failed to collect enough evidence. So we must stop investigating. Unless we have new data that could be used as evidence, we must close the case," Suhandoyo told The Jakarta Post.
Two other suspects in the case were the late Faisal Abda'oe, former state-owned oil company Pertamina's director, and Praptono H. Tjitrohupojo, the director of PT Ustraindo Petrogas.
The three were accused of corruption and markups in technical assistance contracts (TAC) for the Balongan and Cepu oil fields, causing the state to lose US$24.8 million.
The announcement came just two days after President Susilo publicly announced that he would personally lead the country's fight against corruption, which has been blamed for pushing the country to the brink of bankruptcy.
It also came just one day after the induction of new Attorney General Abdul Rahman Saleh, an experienced judge, who Susilo will be counting on to be at the forefront of the war on graft.
Ginandjar and Faisal were detained for questioning in 2001 but later released. The prosecutors claimed that there was not strong enough evidence to support the allegation.
In mid-2002, the Balongan case was reopened. Faisal died just months after the case was reopened, while the investigation against Ginandjar was hampered by the fact that he had to be first tried or investigated by the military as he was an active military officer at the time of the alleged wrongdoings.
Suhandoyo said Friday that Abdul Rahman had said that he was willing to study cases that have been closed due to lack of evidence, including Ginandjar's case.
"As the new attorney general, he has asked every prosecutor's office to submit reports on corruption cases they have handled. The Attorney General will study all high profile cases before deciding what to do," he said.