Laksamana to file complaint with council

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.