Habibie and Akbar to testify in Rahardi's corruption trial

Habibie and Akbar to testify in Rahardi's corruption trial

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Former president B.J. Habibie and House of Representatives (DPR)
Speaker Akbar Tandjung are both scheduled to testify in the graft
trial of former State Logistics Agency (Bulog) chief Rahardi
Ramelan at the South Jakarta District Court on Tuesday.

The court also summoned former coordinating minister of
people's welfare and poverty eradication Haryono Suyono, former
Bulog finance deputy Ahmad Ruskandar and two more former Bulog
employees.

Habibie's lawyer, OC Kaligis, however, indicated that Habibie
would probably not attend the hearing even though the
prosecutor's office had sent the summons to Habibie's Jakarta
residence last Thursday.

"He is now in Germany. Prosecutors could read out his dossiers
as he was under oath during (last month's) questioning," he told
reporters on the sidelines of Rahardi's hearing on Tuesday, which
was also attended by deputy chairman of the Golkar Party, Agung
Laksono.

Earlier on Tuesday, the court heard the testimony of two
former Bulog employees. The trial, which started around 10 a.m.,
was scheduled to hear four witnesses, but at 5 p.m., presiding
judge Lalu Mariyun decided to adjourn the session until next week
due to time constraints.

A former Bulog finance administration head, Anton Yulianto,
testified that Bulog funds had been used to finance some
activities that were not related to Bulog's purpose, which is to
manage the stability of basic commodities.

"That's why we (Bulog employees) called the expenditures
'bizarre'," he said.

Judge Lalu commented that Bulog acted like a "Santa Claus" as
it was overly "generous" in disbursing its funds.

Anton confirmed that Bulog had disbursed Rp 40 billion to
Golkar chief and House Speaker Akbar Tandjung as per Rahardi's
order via a note.

During the hearing, chief prosecutor Kemas Yahya Rahman showed
a hand-written note from Rahardi, ordering Bulog's finance bureau
head to disburse the first installment of Rp 20 billion to Akbar,
then minister/state secretary.

There was no explanation about the purpose of the fund
disbursement in the note.

"The disbursement of Rp 20 billion was as simple as that?
Didn't the defendant inform you of the purpose of the
disbursement?" asked Lalu.

In his reply Anton stated that Rahardi never communicated the
purpose to him.

Rahardi is being tried for his alleged involvement in the
misallocation of a total Rp 62.9 billion in state funds during
his term between 1998 to 1999.

The high profile case involving Bulog's disbursement of Rp 40
billion to Akbar, is currently being tried by the Central Jakarta
District Court. Akbar claimed that the fund was used to finance
an aid project.

But the project officer, Winfried Simatupang, recently repaid
the money to the state despite having earlier claimed that he
used the money to finance the aid project by distributing 1.6
million food packages to the poor in five areas of Java in 1999.
Prosecutors found no evidence of any aid project.

Many believe the fund was allegedly used to finance Golkar's
election campaign in 1999.