Govt considers auctioning tons of smuggled sugar

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Abdul Khalik, Jakarta

The government is likely to auction the 73,000 tons of illegal sugar of the Confederation of Primary Cooperatives Association (Inkud) as the police cannot store it as evidence.

National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said on Wednesday that it would be more profitable to consider the stock part of the national supply.

"As legal evidence it is difficult for us to store the sugar and keep it in good condition. It will be more useful to auction it," Da'i said after a meeting with President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Also present in the meeting were acting coordinating minister for political and security affairs Hari Sabarno, Coordinating Minister for the Economy Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti, Minister for Trade and Industry Rini M.S. Suwandi and Attorney General M.A. Rachman.

The police chief further said that the sugar would be auctioned or distributed to areas that needed extra sugar supply.

"There will be further discussion among economic ministers to determine the technicalities of the auction," Da'i said.

Meanwhile, police stressed on Wednesday that Inkud chairman Nurdin Halid would continue to be questioned as a suspect in the sugar scandal despite his objection that President Megawati granted permission for him to be questioned as a witness only.

National Police chief of detectives Comr. Gen. Suyitno Landung Sudjono said the police had the right to question Nurdin regardless of his status.

"We will interrogate him as a suspect because we have permission from the President to question him. If necessary, we will ask another letter from the President. But for now, the initial permission is enough," said Suyitno.

He was responding to a complaint filed by Nurdin's lawyers that the police should stop questioning him as the President only granted the police the right to question their client as a witness, not a suspect.

They threatened to file a lawsuit against the police if they refused to stop the interrogation.

The police questioned lawmaker Nurdin as a witness last Friday after getting the President's permission the week before. They declared him a suspect and issued a detention letter shortly after questioning him on the same day.

Nurdin evaded police detention when he fell sick and has been hospitalized since Saturday.

Suyitno said that they were now questioning Inkud's director Khairudin as a witness in the case again. He said that they were close to naming him a suspect.

"Today we will name him as suspect if we find enough evidence from the interrogation," he said.