Habibie sets up team to probe Soeharto's wealth

JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie ordered on Tuesday a special team to "directly examine" former president Soeharto over his recent statement that he did not have "a single cent" of savings overseas, as widely alleged.

Supreme Advisory Council chairman A.A. Baramuli described the President's decision as strong evidence of his commitment to disprove public accusations that Habibie did not have the guts to investigate wrongdoings allegedly committed by Soeharto, who was Habibie's political mentor, during his 32-year tenure.

"So if people say that President Habibie is too scared to investigate (Soeharto), it is not true. He will prove it this week, you will also witness it," Bramuli told journalists after meeting with Habibie at Merdeka Palace.

According to Baramuli, the team will probe not only Soeharto, but also his six children and cronies and Habibie will not hesitate to take legal action against them if there is strong evidence of possible crimes.

"Former president Soeharto has declared that he is clean, but we will question him (to confirm it)," Baramuli noted.

In a statement broadcast by his own daughter's TPI television station early this month, Soeharto swore that he did not have any deposits abroad.

He even challenged people to prove their allegations that he had a personal fortune worth trillions of rupiah both overseas and in the country.

Many people were outraged when Attorney General Andi M. Ghalib then suggested that the public should trust the President's honesty, saying that "he was telling the truth because he is a former president".

"Soeharto had to step down in May precisely because he was no longer trusted by the people," said protesting students.

The Attorney General's Office is still conducting legal and financial audits of Soeharto's four charitable foundations whose total assets are worth more than Rp 3.7 trillion (US$300 million).

Ghalib said early this month that his office had found strong indications of mismanagement in one of the foundations.

Baramuli said on Tuesday that the team to investigate Soeharto would likely comprise senior officials from the Attorney General's Office or the National Police headquarters.

"Soeharto has become an ordinary citizen so he can be questioned anywhere... but of course not on the streets," he noted.

Soeharto's second son Bambang Trihatmodjo complained last week that people had unfairly targeted practices of corruption, collusion and nepotism by his father's administration. He alleged that the current cabinet was not at all free from such practices.

"(If Bambang said that) it's his own business, but what President Habibie means is that any (corruption, collusive and nepotistic) practices will be investigated," Baramuli said when asked about Bambang's statement. (prb)