ICW's special birthday gift to Attorney General Ghalib
JAKARTA (JP): Attorney General Andi M. Ghalib, a three-star military general, got an unpleasant gift for his 53rd birthday on Thursday from the Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW).
According to the Jakarta-based independent body, Rp 1.8 billion (US$225,000) was transferred to the bank accounts of Ghalib and his wife Andi Murniati at a national private bank in Jakarta from different parties, including two prominent local businessman: Prajogo Pangestu and The Nin King.
The alleged transfers in rupiah and U.S. dollars was believed to have been carried out in 11 transactions, ICW executive Teten Masduki told a press conference after submitting copies of the documents to the National Military Police headquarters for further investigation.
ICW, he said, received the documents on May 27 via a courier service firm from an unknown party.
"(But) we've checked the (validity of the) documents and found that they're all legitimate," Teten said but refused to show the copies to the press.
The documents appeared to show that the transfers occurred between Feb. 12 to May 6 of this year to the accounts of Andi M. Ghalib with the address of Jl. SMP 222 No. 2, Ceger Raya, Cipayung, East Jakarta.
According to Teten, the documents appeared to show that local businessmen Prajogo transferred funds worth Rp 250 million to Ghalib's account on April 27, and Nin King transferred money totaling Rp 200 million four days earlier.
"The fact that the two people were investigated by Ghalib for their suspected financial misdeeds, these transfers to the Attorney General's account could stir public curiosity as a possible bribery," he said.
An ICW statement cited that Prajogo was summoned for questioning by the Attorney General Office in mid-September last year for the alleged misuse of credit funds at the businessman's Bank Andromeda.
Early this year, the office questioned Nin King for a Rp 581 billion bad debt of his company, Argo Manunggal Group, ICW said.
ICW therefore hoped that the Military Police, which has the legal authority to probe misdeeds committed by active military and police personnel, would further cross-examine the documents on Ghalib's alleged offense.
According to Teten, the copies of the documents were handed over earlier in the day to Col. Hendardji, director of counseling and investigation of the National Military Police.
"After receiving the reports, Col. Hendardji told us (ICW) that the alleged bribery may not be true. The money may be merely a donation he said," Bambang explained.
Late Thursday, Hendardji told The Jakarta Post by phone that his office would not carry out the investigation unless ICW would provide witnesses and show strong evidence.
The Military Police, he said, could not even ask Bank Indonesia, the central bank, to freeze the bank accounts of Ghalib and his wife unless there was strong evidence on the alleged bribe.
While Nin King could not be reached for comment, Prajogo, once called one of the few timber barons in Indonesia, declined to comment on the ICW report.
Prajogo remained tightlipped over the case after being questioned by reporters after a meeting with Minister of Forestry and Plantation Muslimin Nasution on Thursday.
Ghalib is still in Europe to trace the alleged wealth of the Soehartos as reported by Time.
But his office spokesman in Jakarta, Soehandoyo, called ICW's finding as a "cruel political maneuver".
"The findings of the transfers to Pak Andi Ghalib's account is a cruel political maneuver to ruin the name of the Attorney General as well as the corps," he said.
He estimated that the documents were issued by certain parties which intended to reach their targets in an illegitimate way.
The Attorney General Office, Soehandoyo said, would soon investigate the case and possibly ask for clarification from ICW.
"It's also possible for us to launch an intelligence operation," he told Antara. (asa/gis/bsr)