Laksamana to file complaint with council

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

State Minister of State Enterprises Laksamana Sukardi said on Wednesday that he would file a complaint with the Press Council against recent media reports suggesting that he had misused some US$125 million (Rp 1.2 trillion) from the privatization of several state-owned companies.

Speaking to reporters after meeting President Megawati Soekarnoputri at the presidential palace, Laksamana said that he was gathering evidence of the privatization process to prove that he was not involved in corruption.

"I will file a complaint with the Press Council and submit all the evidence. I cannot understand why rumors made headlines in the media," Laksamana said.

He refused to mention the names of the media, adding that he intended to visit the Press Council and file his complaint on Thursday.

Some newspapers and television stations reported earlier that Laksamana, who is also a leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), had left the country with some $125 million.

Reports that Laksamana had left the country surfaced after poll returns showed that incumbent Megawati Soekarnoputri was trailing far behind her opponent Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, her former coordinating minister for political and security affairs.

Attorney General M.A. Rachman said last week that his office was examining reports alleging that Laksamana had enriched himself during the divestment of government shares in companies previously managed by the now-defunct Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA).

Representatives of the University of Indonesia Alumni Association, the Bandung Institute of Technology Alumni, Trisakti University Alumni and Civil Society Professionals submitted documentation of Laksamana's alleged involvement in graft to the Attorney General's Office on Sept. 27.

Laksamana said on Wednesday that divestments conducted in the past three years had been done in accordance with regulations and there were no irregularities in the process.

"I will go to the Press Council myself and present the legal evidence over divestments processed in the country," he remarked.

When asked whether he would file lawsuit or send written complaints to each publication, Laksamana said he would follow the advice of the Press Council.

"We will consider the Press Council's recommendations before deciding on the next move regarding the case," he said.