ICW sees political plot behind Ghalib case

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)