ICW sees political plot behind Ghalib case

JAKARTA (JP): Antigraft activists are concerned over what they believe is a high-level political conspiracy to freeze the investigation into Andi M. Ghalib's alleged corruption and to turn the table on whistle-blower Teten Masduki.

Bambang Widjojanto of the independent Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) cited how the Military Police Corps had not been serious in investigating Ghalib, who was forced to step down from the position of attorney general following an uproar over the corruption allegation.

Ghalib is an active lieutenant general.

"It would be possible to treat Ghalib as a suspect in the alleged corruption case and to bring him to the military tribunal only if the Military Police Corps was serious in handling the case," Bambang said.

"The problem is the Military Police has yet to show that it intends to solve the case thoroughly," he said in a hearing with the House Commission I for security and defense on Tuesday.

Instead, he said, the military police had summoned Teten and asked him to sign a dossier which implicated him with slandering Ghalib.

"We believe the Military Police has created a scenario under which it will freeze Ghalib's case and seek to trap Teten into a defamation case," he said.

Teten, who also attended the hearing, revealed the Rp 9.2 billion bank accounts had been drawn on and that Ghalib currently had a Rp 2 million deposit at Lippo Bank. He said the Military Police should treat Ghalib as a suspect to allow them to trace the bank accounts worth Rp 9 billion.

"The Military Police should investigate who transferred the money and where it is now," he said.

Bambang said both President B.J. Habibie and Minister of Defense and Security/Indonesian Military chief Gen. Wiranto had not pushed the Military Police Corps to investigate the alleged corruption.

Bambang said that despite the ICW's belief that its report on the alleged corruption was sufficient to prosecute Ghalib, a reluctance to investigate the claims was maintained.

However, the ICW was still willing to help the Military Police carry out the investigation, he said. "It is not absolutely necessary for the Military Police to know (who our sources are) or to obtain explanations from witnesses in the case.

"What's important is that the Military Police Corps should investigate whether Ghalib was involved in the alleged corruption or not."

The ICW disclosed early in June that a total of Rp 9.2 billion was transferred to Ghalib's eleven bank accounts. It included Rp 450 billion transferred by noted businessmen The Nin King and Prayogo Pangestu in April.

The organization alleged Rp 1.8 billion was transferred to accounts bearing the name of Ghalib and his wife, Andi Murniati. Teten said 11 deposits were made to their accounts between Feb. 12 and May 16 at a private bank in South Jakarta. It said copies of the transfers were mailed to the ICW office from an unidentified party.

Ghalib denied the allegation, saying the money was transferred as donations to the Indonesian Wrestling Association (PGSI), a body which he chairs.

Military Police chief Maj. Gen. Djasri Marin recently said Ghalib could not be treated as a suspect in the case because there was insufficient evidence to justify the move. He also said Teten, who first revealed the alleged corruption, had declined to give a testimony.

Teten said at Tuesday's meeting he was ready to testify under the condition that Ghalib officially be declared a suspect.

"However, according to ICW's law experts and my lawyers, I have no legal obligation to provide testimony in the case because I did not see and hear about the alleged corruption... I only received reports (about the alleged corruption)."

He backed Bambang's claim that the ICW data was accurate, valid evidence of the corruption, and was adequate for the Military Police to launch an investigation.

Aisyah Amini of the United Development Party (PPP) faction, who chaired the meeting, promised to discuss the Ghalib controversy at her commission's hearing with acting Attorney General Ismoedjoko next week and Wiranto in August.(rms)