Gus Dur clarifies role in scandals

Gus Dur clarifies role in scandals

JAKARTA (JP): State prosecutors have questioned President
Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid about two financial scandals,
Attorney General's Office spokesman Muljohardjo said on
Wednesday.

Muljohardjo said the questioning took place on Saturday at the
State Palace, with Chaeruman Harahap leading the team of
prosecutors. The President answered 20 questions on the alleged
misappropriation of Rp 35 billion (US$350,000) from the State
Logistics Agency (Bulog) and a $2 million donation from the
sultan of Brunei.

During the questioning, Gus Dur insisted he never received
any of the Bulog funds, Muljohardjo said.

The spokesman declined to discuss in detail the results of the
questioning or to say whether the President had been named a
suspect in the scandals. But he did say that in the case of the
Bulog scandal, the prosecutors concluded that the funds belonged
to the state and therefore the case fell under Anticorruption Law
No. 3/1971.

The scandals led to Abdurrahman being censured twice by the
House of Representatives, putting the President on the brink of
impeachment proceedings for violating his presidential oath.

Abdurrahman has repeatedly denied any involvement in the
scandals.

The President's masseur Alip Agung Suwondo is now on trial for
acting as a middleman between Gus Dur and former Bulog deputy
chief Sapuan, who has been convicted for corruption in the Bulog
case.

Muljohardjo said the state prosecutors initially summoned Gus
Dur for questioning on April 27, but Cabinet Secretary Marsilam
Simanjuntak told prosecutors the President was unavailable on
this date because of prior commitments.

"The Cabinet secretary then asked that the questioning be
postponed until May 5," Muljohardjo said. (bby)