Habibie receives ICW delegation

JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie directly received on Thursday all necessary documents from Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) executive coordinator Teten Masduki to back up the latter's allegations that Attorney General Lt. Gen. Andi M. Ghalib abused his power to enrich himself.

Speaking to journalists after his meeting with the President at Merdeka Palace, Teten said he urged the President to discharge the attorney general from Cabinet for the power abuses he had committed.

Teten said he also informed the President on Ghalib's threats, following disclosure of the attorney general's bank accounts and deposits.

"He asked me to remain patient against the threat and to sleep well because tomorrow he would meet with several related ministers," Teten pointed out.

The attorney general boasted on Wednesday of chasing the lawyer, whom he called an animal, all the way to the grave. He also vowed to commit siri for dignity's sake of being a Bugis man.

According to Bugis tradition, a man will take revenge for a humiliation of his self-respect. The form of revenge is often realized in murder.

Habibie, also a Bugis, told him that he would consult with several ministers on Friday, including Coordinating Minister for Development Supervision and State Apparatus Reforms Hartarto and Minister of Justice Muladi, before making any decision to follow up the report on Ghalib.

"Then a measure will be taken in accordance with the law," Teten quoted the President as promising.

During the meeting, Habibie was accompanied by Muladi, while Teten was accompanied by 13 colleagues, including Bambang Widjojanto, Chusnul Mariah and Agus Purnomo.

"Before the discussion, we asked the President whether he would receive Teten as an animal or a human being," Agus joked.

Muladi said the President would summon Ghalib on Thursday evening.

The meeting was delayed one hour from the original schedule of 3 p.m. because Habibie met first with Supreme Advisory Council (DPA) Chairman A.A. Baramuli.

The President thanked ICW for the documents and said it was the first detailed document he received on the Ghalib case.

The document comprises copies of 14 banks accounts and four time deposits, which totals Rp 13 billion from August to May. On June 1 the amount decreased to about Rp 9 billion. Four of the accounts and one of the deposits are owned by his wife Murniati.

"There is a transfer of Rp 2.5 billion in one day alone, and then Rp 900 million," Teten said, and added many transfers occurred during the days where the Attorney General's Office questioned several problematic bankers.

According to Teten, Habibie did not directly respond to ICW's demand for Ghalib's sacking, but promised to seriously look into the report. He assured his guests that he would take all necessary measures to enforce the law.

Habibie agreed with Ghalib's decision to bring the case to court, said Teten, who then told the President the attorney general should be removed from Cabinet to enable him to have an equal position against Ghalib in court.

"The President agreed that the legal process be continued in court and I am ready for it," said the lawyer.

Ghalib is the most controversial in Habibie's 36-strong cabinet. On June 1, the University of Indonesia Students' Executive Body declared Ghalib the winner of the "Soeharto Award" after topping a list of anti-reform figures in the country.

When his telephone conversation with Habibie on former president Soeharto's investigation was leaked, he stubbornly said that he doubted the authenticity of the conversation although Habibie had confirmed it.

Teten himself pledged that ICW would continue its anticorruption campaigns. It would soon reveal irregularities at state-owned social security firm PT Jamsostek.

His office has also received about 2,000 reports from the public, although he acknowledged many of them were not supported with strong evidence.

"But some of them are backed with very accurate evidence," he hinted.

Earlier, Teten and Bambang lodged a criminal lawsuit for humiliation against Ghalib at the National Police Headquarters.

"What Ghalib has said is not supposed to come out of a high- ranking official like him," Teten told reporters.

Teten also said that Ghalib alleged he was part of a conspiracy to destroy the attorney general's reputation in relation with his effort to probe corruption, collusion and nepotism cases, recently handled by the Attorney General's Office.

As a public official, he should be transparent and should not be secretive so the public can check, Teten said, adding: "There should be transparency and accountability."

In a related development, Ghalib arrived at the Jakarta Police Headquarters in South Jakarta to tell his version, following a criminal lawsuit report made on Monday by his lawyers.

Arriving in a green metallic land cruiser van, Ghalib was guarded securely by plainclothes military bodyguards and only gave a thumbs-up sign to reporters.

Ghalib went directly to city police chief Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman's room and spent at least two hours there.

"I report to police about the defamation, slander and any kind of deeds against me both as personal and a state official done by Saudara Teten and Bambang Widjojanto," he told reporters after the meeting.

The country is ruled under law and everybody is treated equally before the law, he said, adding that he had to come down to the police to get his rights protected.

Ghalib, however, refused to answer any questions at all and the bodyguards protected him from journalists and photographers. (prb/emf)