House legislators grill Rini over Sukhoi deal

House legislators grill Rini over Sukhoi deal

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The House of Representatives committee of inquiry into alleged
procedural violations in the purchase of four Sukhoi jet fighters
quizzed Minister of Trade Rini M.S. Suwandi during a closed-door
hearing that lasted until midnight on Monday.

A number of committee members described the hearing as being
akin to the trial of the trade minister, who had shunned the
committee's summons to clarify the processes by which the
warplanes were purchased in July.

"We expect that Rini will admit during this hearing that the
Sukhoi jets' purchase violated the law," Effendy Choirie of the
National Awakening Party (PKB) faction said on the sidelines of
the hearing.

The committee had arranged the hearing for Monday morning, but
it was delayed following a debate over the unexpected presence of
foreign minister Hassan Wirayuda and Indonesian Military (TNI)
chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, who were ordered by President
Megawati Soekarnoputri on Saturday to accompany Rini during the
hearing.

Rini, whom legislators believe to be the architect of the
countertrade purchase of two Sukhoi SU-30 MKs, two Sukhoi SU-27
SKs, and two MI-35 assault helicopters, worth a total of US$192.6
million, had avoided a House summons twice.

The committee eventually opened the hearing at around 8:20
p.m. and allowed Endriartono, State Minister for Research and
Technology Hatta Radjasa, and Hassan, who had rushed back from
Yogyakarta to be there, to attend the session.

The factions on the committee reached a last-ditch compromise
based on the condition that Rini's colleagues would be prohibited
from answering any questions raised by committee members.

State Logistics Agency (Bulog) chief Widjanarko Puspoyo was
also seen in the government team, but he was denied entry to the
meeting room. He was instead ushered to the defense commission's
VIP room.

Golkar legislator Yasril Ananta Baharuddin said that unlike in
other hearings, lawmakers known to not be particularly active
bombarded Rini with questions.

"If she (Rini) had been alone, she would probably have burst
into tears," Yasril said.

Some commission members had disclosed that the House inquiry
committee would recommend the dismissal of Rini for playing the
key role in the Sukhoi purchase, which should have been the
responsibility of the defense minister according to the 2001 law
on defense.

Other legislators said they planned to exercise their right of
interpellation and ask the President to clarify the matter
following the questioning of Rini. This, they said, could lead to
a House decision to bring the Sukhoi issue to the newly-
established Constitutional Court on the grounds that the
President had committed wrongdoing.

The purchase of the Sukhois was made last April during a visit
by President Megawati to Moscow. The countertrade deal involved
the Indonesian Military (TNI) as the end-user and Bulog as the
buyer.

Meanwhile, Antara reported that two Sukhoi SU-30 MKs had
arrived at the Iswahyudi Air Base in Maospati, East Java.

Like the two Sukhoi SU-27 SKs that arrived on Aug. 27, the
Russian warplanes were transported to Indonesia by Antonov cargo
planes.