Government investigation of Bintang still stalled

Government investigation of Bintang still stalled

JAKARTA (JP): The government's investigation of rebel
politician Sri Bintang Pamungkas remained stalled yesterday,
although the Attorney General's Office appointed a new prosecutor
to lead the questioning.

Nur Amalia, one of Bintang's lawyers, said the investigation
was cut short because interrogators could not answer a number of
his client's questions or explain the charges or grounds for
arrest.

Bintang, a former legislator, was arrested on March 5 on
charges of subversion in connection with his activities in the
Indonesian Democratic Union Party (PUDI) which he founded with
colleagues last May.

Bintang's list of "sins" according to the government include
calling for a boycott of the May 29 general election -- a
proposal made in his Idul Fitri cards -- and drawing up a new
constitution.

Two other PUDI leaders, Julius Usman and Saleh Abdullah were
arrested on the same charges.

Amalia said that at the start of the investigation yesterday,
the interrogators objected to the defense lawyers' presence.

The prosecutors cited an article in the Criminal Code
Procedure which said lawyers were permitted to watch but not to
hear questioning in investigations involving national security
issues.

"We argued that Bintang was arrested under the Subversion Law,
and that the arrest warrant made no mention of national security
questions. They should change the warrant before they apply the
article on national security," she said.

On Wednesday, Bintang demanded that the prosecutor leading the
investigation, Mulyono, be replaced because of his alleged
involvement in the latest corruption scandal at the Attorney
General's Office.

The investigation yesterday was led by S.T. Silangit.

Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes Ismudjoko told
reporters the appointment of Silangit had nothing to do with
Bintang's demands.

Mulyono remains in the team of interrogators and could
investigate Bintang later, he said.

Ismudjoko said Mulyono had been cleared of any wrongdoing in
connection with the corruption scandal over the handling of the
confiscated assets of jail escapee businessman Eddy Tansil.

"Mulyono was investigated and he is clean," he said.

Forum Keadilan news magazine recently reported that a number
of Attorney General's Office officials were believed to have
embezzled the interest earnings of the billions of rupiah of
Tansil's assets kept at the government-run Bank Pembangunan
Indonesia (Bapindo).

Tansil, who was convicted for swindling Bapindo, escaped jail
in May last year and is believed to have fled abroad.

Achmad Fauzan, one of the defense lawyers, said yesterday the
prosecutors had agreed to Bintang's requests for a laptop
computer and a water dispenser in his detention cell at the
Roundbuilding of the Attorney General's Office.

But they refused to allow him his lecture notes. Bintang is
still registered as a lecturer on industrial management at the
government-run University of Indonesia. (05)