House to summon former officials

House to summon former officials

JAKARTA: The leadership of the House of Representatives (DPR) has put its support behind moves by a team of members of House Commission I to summon former ministers/state secretaries from the Suharto regime to the present to shed light on the Presidential Assistance Fund (Banpres).

"Go ahead if (the team) wants to ask for clarification. The House leadership will send the invitation," deputy House speaker Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno said after a meeting with the House Commission I team.

Soetardjo said the team, which was tasked to verify documents on Banpres submitted by current State Secretary Bambang Kesowo, was still trying to establish the total amount of funds and its channeling mechanism.

The team's secretary Happy Bone Zulkarnaen said that documents submitted by Bambang concerned not only the funds President Megawati Soekarnoputri donated to the Indonesian Military and police in February but also other expenditure.

"That is why we want an explanation and clarification from the former state ministers on policy, sources of the funds and the transfer process from one state secretary to another," Happy said.

Former ministers/state secretaries who would be summoned include Moerdiono, Muladi, and Bondan Gunawan. Moerdiono is expected to come to the House on June 19. -- Antara