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)