Many doubt Ghalib's case will be solved
Many doubt Ghalib's case will be solved
JAKARTA (JP): Legal experts aired doubt on Tuesday that the
government would dare take legal action against Andi M. Ghalib,
who stepped aside as attorney general during a graft
investigation.
"To thoroughly investigate Ghalib's case would be like a
domino theory," human rights lawyer Frans Hendra Winarta told a
discussion on corruption organized by the independent Indonesian
Corruption Watch (ICW).
He said that "the fall of Ghalib would precipitate the fall of
other government officials".
"There has been an impression that the government is
protecting Ghalib, instead of taking clear legal measures against
him," Frans said in apparent reference to the government's
failure to name Ghalib, an active lieutenant general, a suspect
in the investigation.
Last month, President B.J. Habibie accepted Ghalib's
resignation after ICW executives alleged he had some Rp 13
billion (US$1.6 million) in his bank accounts and that some of
the money was suspected to have been bribes from businessmen
under investigation by the Attorney General's Office for banking
law violations.
It was the first time in decades that a community group forced
a Cabinet member from office.
The government also said Ghalib's bank accounts would be
audited by an independent accounting firm. However, legal experts
said that until Ghalib was officially named a suspect, auditors
would not be able to gain access to the accounts.
"It is such a lawless situation here that the official who is
allegedly involved in corruption can sit back while a person who
came forward with the corruption allegations is the one who has
been harassed," Frans added.
Under former president Soeharto, Indonesia gained a reputation
as one of the most corrupt countries, with bribes and payoffs a
regular fixture of living and doing business in the country.
"Corruption is rampant here, particularly among law enforcers
as there has been no sufficient punishment which would make them
think twice before doing it," Frans said.
Proreform leaders have said that Ghalib would escape any legal
consequences as long as the Habibie administration remained in
power.
"It would be difficult to eradicate corruption if all the
ranks of the company, from the directors to the sweepers, were
involved in it," said Loebby Loqman, a law professor at the
University of Indonesia, another speaker.
Loebby said Ghalib's case should be settled in a civil court
rather than a military tribunal, as the suspected act of
corruption affected the interests of the public at large more
than it did the military.
Meanwhile, lawyer of Time magazine Todung Mulya Lubis is due
to leave for New York on Wednesday to discuss with the magazine's
U.S. lawyers legal preparations following a lawsuit filed against
it by Soeharto earlier this month, Antara reported on Tuesday.
The weekly alleged in its May 24 issue that Soeharto and his
children amassed a US$15 billion fortune during his 32-year rule.
It claimed the Soehartos' fortune included $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.(byg)