House confirms Gus Dur's role

JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives' special committee investigating the Bulog and Brunei financial scandals alleged that President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid was involved in the two scams.

Sources at the House told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday that the President allegedly had a role in the withdrawal and disbursement of the Rp 35 billion (US$3.9 million) funds from the foundation of the State Logistics Agency (Bulog). The committee also considered that he had been inconsistent in giving explanations to the public on Brunei's US$2-million financial assistance.

The 34-page report was handed over to the House leadership in a plenary session on Monday and its copies were disseminated to all legislators on Tuesday. The House factions are scheduled to present their response to the report on Thursday.

A source said that based on documents and witnesses's explanations to the special committee, the committee concluded that the President helped his former masseur Alip Agung Suwondo to disburse funds from the Bulog foundation (Yanatera).

"Gus Dur has known Suwondo since 1986 and the latter introduced former Bulog deputy chief Sapuan to the President. And, according to several witnesses, the President gave a Rp 5 billion check, part of the Yanatera funds, to his businessman friend Siti Farikha," said a source.

The source said the disbursement of the funds was related to the President's planned humanitarian aid to restive Aceh, "but, it is strange that the funds disbursed from the Bulog foundation were given to four persons who have no connection with the planned humanitarian aid to Aceh."

He said the testimony given by a number of Bulog officials, including Yusuf Kalla, former National Police chief Gen. Roesdihardjo, Baharuddin Lopa, Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, and Sapuan, indicated the President helped Suwondo to disburse the funds and he played a role in expending them.

With regards to the Brunei scandal, another source said the special committee found an inconsistency in the use of Brunei Sultan Hassanah Bolkiah's $2-billion aid, which the President claimed as a personal gift.

"According to the President, the funds were distributed to Aceh, West Kalimantan, Ambon and Irian Jaya while according to his businessman friend Musnah, who admitted managing the funds, the funds were distributed only to Aceh and Riau," said the source, who was also a former member of the already-dissolved special committee.

Referring to the 1997 law on government's non-tax income, the sultan's financial assistance should have been included in the 2000 state budget if it was considered a grant to Indonesia.

Meanwhile, House factions are expected to give a different political stance on the result of the special committee's investigation into the two financial scandals.

Tumbu Saraswati, deputy chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) faction said her faction would be fair in presenting its political stance on the two scandals.

"Our faction will be objective and fair in giving its opinion on the special committee's report. We support the investigation in its effort to seek the truth about the scams and it is consistent with our party policy to uphold the supremacy of the law," she said.

A PDI Perjuangan faction member who asked for anonymity said his faction would also question the violation of official procedure committed by the special committee in carrying out the investigation.

"In Monday's plenary session, the special committee admitted its fault in breaching the law and the House's internal rules. In the next plenary session, factions are expected to give their political stance on the violation. If the faults are accepted, the report must be annulled," he said.

The special committee failed to give a monthly report to the House leadership, legislators and the President during the four- month investigation and to unveil its budget for the probe.

The Golkar Party vowed to present a fair and objective evaluation on the result of the investigation, saying it wanted the President to learn a lesson from the two scandals.

"Our faction is of the opinion, that the two scandals must be brought to court if the President is allegedly involved," Syamsul Muarif, chairman of the Golkar faction at the House, said.

He said his faction had no political aim to topple the President but wanted him to improve his management style of the government.

"Our faction will remain critical of the President and the latter should learn an important lesson from the House's investigation into the two scandals," he said.

Syamsul however said that the President could be impeached only if he was found guilty in the Bulog and Brunei scandals.

"The House of Representatives could not issue a memorandum, or call on the People's Consultative Assembly to hold a special session to impeach the President as long as the President is not found guilty by the court," Syamsul Muarif, chairman of the Golkar faction at the House, said on Tuesday.

He said that the House has no authority to declare the President guilty in the two scandals but it has a right of inquiry to carry out a political investigation into the scams.

The National Awakening Party (PKB) faction said it would urge the House to annul the report because the investigation was carried out against the law and the House's internal rules.

"Besides failing to unveil its monthly report during the investigation, the special committee has never reported its budget. The investigation was also politicized to discredit the President and the investigation's results were also leaked to the press to gain political support from antigovernment groups," Abdul Khaliq Achmad, secretary of the PKB faction, said.

He said the House should make a decision on whether to accept the special committee's violations or not before making a decision on the report. (rms/dja)