Major factions oppose questioning over Bulog scandal

JAKARTA (JP): Five major factions at the House of Representatives will recommend that faction members, who were on a special committee investigating two financial scandals allegedly linked to President Abdurrahman Wahid, defy summonses for questioning.

Legislator Hamdan Zoelva said after the factions' closed-door meeting here on Tuesday that the Attorney General's Office had no right to summons 50 members of the House committee because the investigation was done on behalf of the House and it was therefore the legislative body as an institution that ruled that the President was implicated in the scams.

"The 50 legislators cannot testify because no suspects were declared in the House's report. The Attorney General's Office could only learn the committee's investigation result in its investigation into the two financial scandals," Hamdan said.

The factions represent the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), the Golkar Party, the Crescent Star Party (PBB), the United Development Party (PPP) and a coalition of National Mandate Party (PAN) and several tiny Muslim-based parties.

Separately, House Speaker Akbar Tandjung said the Attorney General's Office had no adequate reason to summons the former special committee members because besides being illogical, the House provided only a report on the two scandals to be followed up in accordance with the law.

The joint statement issued by the major factions came after Attorney General Marzuki Darusman said on Monday that resistance displayed by the legislators against the planned questioning was baseless.

Marzuki said on Monday the questioning was a prerequisite for a legal proceeding, and insisted that the legislators meet his office's summons because their testimony was necessary in order to complete the investigation into the cases.

"We need to take their clarifications over their inquiry report as the ones who filed complaints," he said.

Abdurrahman gave consent last week to the state prosecutors to summons the legislators.

The House alleged that the President played a role in the scams after its four-month inquiry into the fraudulent withdrawal of Rp 35 billion belonging to State Logistics Agency (Bulog) employee foundation and of US$2 million in humanitarian aid he accepted from the Brunei sultan.

The inquiry result provided the House with a basis to censure the President and to recommend that a legal process follow its report. The cases are currently being tackled by the Attorney General's Office and the National Police.

Marzuki said his office did not plan to summons the House members in the immediate future, but said they would be the first to undergo questioning.

"We will summon the former special committee members only if necessary, so just take it easy. Please don't be preoccupied with this or anxious," he said, adding that no suspect had been named in the case.

The state prosecutors questioned on Tuesday Teti Nursetiati, the wife of the main defendant in the Bulog scandal, Muhammad Alip Agung Suwondo, as a witness.

Teti told journalists that she went to the office to also clarify her husband's position in the case.

"Media reports on the case have zeroed in on my family, so now I want to clear everything before the prosecutors," she said.

Her lawyer, Denny Azani B. Latief, said he would ask the prosecutors to question the House legislators.

"If the state prosecutors have not yet questioned those who filed the case, then the case should be considered nonexistent," he said. (bby/rms)