Juan blends idealism with reality

By Emmy Fitri

JAKARTA (JP): Former president Soeharto has been the target of corruption allegations since shortly after he was forced to resign in May last year. Yet there are still many people who support him, including his lawyers.

One of those lawyers, Juan Felix Tampubolon, said he combined idealism with reality in representing his client.

The 43-year-old father of two sons, Bara Juang Pardamean Tampubolon and Maruli Ario Tampubolon, said that as Soeharto's lawyer he had "relatively" high ideals and believed that conflicts of interest should be earnestly avoided.

Lawyers should have trust and leave behind all doubt in working on any case, including the Soeharto case, he said. "There is no conflict of interest at all."

For Juan, in law there is no win or lose, there is only one thing: The pursuit of justice and truth.

"It's not about is Pak Harto guilty or not. The process of upholding the truth to seek justice is my only concern," he told The Jakarta Post.

"Pak Harto deserves legal protection, not only because he is a former leader, but also because he is a citizen of the country. Personally, I fear that if nobody represented him, this country would become anarchic, where justice was sought through public trials instead of judicial trials.

"It's like we're going down the drain," he said.

He underlined lawyers should be as objective as possible in looking after their client's position, but at the same time they had to be realistic.

Juan, who began his law career 15 years ago with Ruhut Sitompoel, described himself as a blend between an idealistic lawyer who only wanted to see law and justice upheld, and a lawyer who needed to win his cases.

Therefore, if there is any "under-the-table dealings" between other lawyers, prosecutors and judges, he might play the same game.

"I will offer the same amount of money and reach a new deal with those involved in the play. Then we can start the war of words in the courtroom," he said.

In its May 24 edition, Time magazine ran a cover story titled Suharto Inc., which alleged Soeharto and his family had amassed a US$15 billion fortune during his 32-year reign.

Soeharto filed a lawsuit against the magazine, saying part of the cover story, particularly the report that Soeharto transferred $9 billion from a bank in Switzerland to an Austrian bank shortly after he resigned, was not true.

Juan said that from the very beginning of the Soeharto case, a political campaign was systematically launched by certain groups to one-sidedly portray Soeharto as a corrupt leader who amassed illicit wealth for his family and associates.

"Pak Harto is responsible for the country's worst economic crisis and should be taken to court for the error," Juan said, citing the gist of the alleged propaganda.

"My belief is that Pak Harto's fall coincided with the country's economic turmoil, which affected people from all walks of life," Juan said.

The statements continuously communicated to those suffering from the economic crisis are aimed to destroy Soeharto, and similar methods will later be used against those who are in power, he said.

Juan has actively represented several bank owners whose banks were closed by the government in 1998. He also once represented founding president Sukarno's daughters Rahmawati Soekarnoputri and Sukmawati Soekarnoputri.

However, the cases received little notice from the press. His name only began to be widely known after he agreed to defend Soeharto.

Juan is so well-known now that on Thursday several journalists lined up at his office -- in the 28-story Global Tower -- for interviews, mostly on the Soeharto case.

Juan also represents the former ruler's eldest son Sigit Hardjojudanto, second eldest son Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, second eldest daughter Siti Hediati Hariyadi "Titiek" Prabowo and youngest daughter Siti Hutami "Mamiek" Endang Adiningsih.

Juan, who was a tae kwon do instructor at the Army's Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad), once taught the martial art to Soeharto's grandchildren. This brought him close to the family.

Even though he has long been involved with the former first family, his association with the Soeharto case is strictly a professional relationship.

"I don't have any burden at all (in handling the family's cases) as my relationship with Pak Harto and his children is so far strictly professional," Juan said.

He said he could differentiate between his personal and professional relationships with the Soehartos.

"In general, before signing a deal with potential clients, I usually make a legal opinion on their cases; an objective review which can direct our opinion after the clients have revealed their problems and we have enough data on them.

"If the legal opinion doesn't meet my clients wish and they insist that I change it, I usually let them go. But if they can accept my objective legal analysis, we make the deal," Juan said.

Juan spent a number of years in the Netherlands and Belgium as a teenager. He graduated from the School of Law at local private Jayabaya University.

"I worked for a United States-based oil company while I was finishing my studies. I choose to do it this way although I knew my parents could afford to pay for my studies," he said.

Juan said what he had received so far from his prestigious career were all the fruits of hard work.

"My car and this office have nothing to do with my recent cases," said the husband of Tri Lusiawati Darmakusumah.

He said he received a handsome sum of money from Soeharto, adding that the money remained "untouched".

When asked why, he said: "Because that's not what I'm after."