Ismudjoko installed as acting attorney general

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Justice /State Secretary Muladi installed former deputy attorney general Ismudjoko on Friday as acting attorney general, replacing Andi M. Ghalib, who stepped aside on Monday pending a graft investigation.

"This morning, I delivered a presidential decree which names Ismudjoko as the acting attorney general," Muladi told an official ceremony at the Attorney General's Office in South Jakarta.

"With the issuance of this decree, the appointment of Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Feisal Tanjung as the interim attorney general is no longer effective," he added.

On Monday, President B.J. Habibie suspended Ghalib after the Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) accused Ghalib of accepting some Rp 13 billion (US$1.6 million) in transfers from several businesspeople to his and his wife's bank accounts.

The independent corruption watchdog said some of the money was suspected to be bribes from businessmen under investigation for banking-law violations.

The government announced on the same day that Feisal would take over the post temporarily.

However, the government's choice of Feisal drew sharp criticism from legal experts, who said Feisal's appointment ran contrary to the spirit of the law and the professionalism of the judiciary.

A number of former attorneys, who held a meeting on Tuesday, also said Feisal's appointment ran contrary to a 1991 law stating that the attorney general should be replaced by his deputy if he could not carry out his duties.

On Wednesday evening, Muladi announced after a meeting with Habibie that he had proposed that Ismudjoko fill the role of caretaker attorney general.

Muladi said on Friday that Ismudjoko would be the acting attorney general for "an indefinite period".

"Although Pak Ismudjoko is the acting attorney general, he has the full power of the attorney general," Muladi told reporters after the installment.

Meanwhile, Ismudjoko said that he would "continue the policies that have been taken by the former attorney general".

"I call on all ranks of the Attorney General's Office to inventory the cases that have not been completed and to set a priority scale of what should be completed first because we do not have much time left," Ismudjoko said during the installment ceremony.

Ismudjoko however did not elaborate on whether the investigation into the wealth of former president Soeharto accumulated in his 32 years in power would be a top priority.

When pressed further on whether his office could complete the investigation of Soeharto before the General Session of the People's Consultative Assembly in November, Ismudjoko said: "God willing, we would be able to complete the investigation on time."

Ghalib had headed the inquiry into the wealth of Soeharto, but was widely accused of foot-dragging.

Habibie said in December that the investigation into Soeharto could be completed before the June 7 general election.

The U.S.-based Time magazine disclosed in its May 24 issue that Soeharto and his children retained a US$15 billion fortune from wealth amassed during his 32-year rule.

The magazine reported that the Soehartos' fortune includes $9 billion in cash that was transferred from a bank in Switzerland to another bank in Austria shortly after the former ruler was forced from office in May last year.

Soeharto denied the report and has filed complaints against the magazine to the police.

Ghalib, an active Army lieutenant general, has been reassigned to the armed forces headquarters under the military chief. He also faces a Military Police investigation over allegations of taking bribes.

Ghalib has filed a complaint against executives of the Indonesian Corruption Watch, while ICW executives have in turn reported Ghalib to the police for insulting and threatening them in public.

Later on Friday, Minister of Justice Muladi denied that President B.J. Habibie was inconsistent with his decision to temporarily replace Ghalib with Feisal Tanjung, although he conceded that the hasty change was influenced by public protest.

"Basically the government view is to listen to people's aspirations. It is the most democratic decision," said Muladi after accompanying Habibie in a meeting with visiting International Monetary Fund first deputy managing director Stanley Fischer at Merdeka Palace.

Muladi also said the investigation into Ghalib's bank accounts should be limited to the Indonesian Wrestling Association (PGSI) fund he kept in his private accounts.

"What is suspected is the fund for the wrestling organization, so it must be the subject of the investigation," said Muladi. (byg/prb)