Habibie 'responsible' for Soeharto probe

Habibie 'responsible' for Soeharto probe

JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie must give an
accountability report to the People's Consultative Assembly's
General Session in October and be held responsible for the
outcome of an investigation into former president Soeharto's
alleged wealth, a minister has said.

Minister of Justice Muladi told House of Representatives
Commission I for defense and security, foreign affairs,
information and legal affairs that Habibie would have no other
choice but to complete the investigation as decreed by the
Special Session of the Assembly last November.

"Habibie will at all costs have to be held accountable for the
investigation, of whether the case will be settled through court
or by a political decision," Muladi said on Wednesday.

Public pressure for Soeharto to be brought to court for
alleged corruption while in power led the Assembly to issue a
decree on good governance in November.

The decree instructs the government to investigate and deal
firmly with former and incumbent government officials (including
Soeharto), their families and friends as well as businesspeople
suspected of corruption, collusion or nepotism.

"As one of his aides, I have been telling the President that
he has to complete the investigation.

"(I believe) he (Habibie) also thinks hard about how to settle
the investigation into Soeharto's wealth... I cannot tell you in
detail, but it is clear that Habibie is a gentleman and surely he
will complete the investigation in a responsible manner," Muladi
said.

The probe into Soeharto's alleged wealth, led by Attorney
General A.M. Ghalib, has dragged on since June. Observers have
accused Ghalib of deliberate foot-dragging, pointing out that
most officials in the present government were part of Soeharto's
regime.

The recent publication of a scanned phone conversation Ghalib
allegedly had with Habibie, the content of which indicated the
two's apparent intention to go easy on Soeharto, was a further
blow to the government.

Separately, the independent Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW)
said on Wednesday that Ghalib must resign as he did not have the
nerve to "drag Soeharto and his cronies to court".

"We call on the House to propose Ghalib's dismissal to the
government as he has failed in his duty," coordinator Teten
Masduki announced.

The House grilled Ghalib for three hours on Tuesday in its
effort to step up the investigation into Soeharto by naming him a
suspect rather than only a witness.

Soeharto stepped down in May last year amid mounting public
pressure after 32 years in power.

Extradition

Muladi also reiterated on Wednesday a plan to negotiate an
extradition agreement with Singapore, especially in view of the
increasing tendency among Indonesian bankers to resolve business
disputes with debtors in the Singapore High Court.

In the absence of such an agreement and legal cooperation
between the two countries, any court decision in Singapore that
is related to Indonesian litigants cannot be executed in
Indonesia, Muladi added.

Muladi made the remarks in reply to a question from House
member Rini Awaludin about a lawsuit filed by a Bank Bali
subsidiary, Hong Kong-based Bali International Finance Ltd.,
against Bambang Sutrisno, a former shareholder of the now defunct
Bank Surya.

Sutrisno was taken to court in Singapore after PT Surya
Supratama Finance failed to repay US$16.5 million in debts to a
syndication of Indonesian and foreign finance companies led by
Bali International.

Sutrisno personally guaranteed the syndicated loan. (byg/vin)