Marzuki gets 10 days to act on major corruption cases

Marzuki gets 10 days to act on major corruption cases

JAKARTA (JP): A presidential aide on Monday blasted Attorney
General Marzuki Darusman, saying his work had become almost
indefensible and that President Abdurrahman Wahid has given him
until the end of March to act on major corruption cases.

In the most public lashing yet against Marzuki, presidential
spokesman Wimar Witoelar said "it will be difficult for the
President to retain the attorney general if no concrete results
can immediately be seen."

"The government really has an interest in seeing major
corruption cases immediately taken to court, but it's true that
there are many obstacles and also criticisms of the attorney
general's performance," Wimar told reporters at the Merdeka
Palace.

"So, the President told the attorney general that it is
becoming hard to keep defending him unless he can immediately
come up with satisfactory results."

Wimar was speaking after an unscheduled meeting between the
President, Marzuki, Justice and Human Rights Minister Baharuddin
Lopa and National Police Chief Gen. Surojo Bimantoro at the
palace on Monday afternoon.

Wimar was quick to add, however, that the President "is not
losing trust in the attorney general".

"But, the President can't keep defending the attorney general
before the public ... so hopefully by the end of this month there
will be some arrests or other actions that could be easily
understood by the public," he said.

The latest remarks further highlight the gaping cracks within
the administration as Abdurrahman continues to fight for his
presidential survival.

On Thursday Abdurrahman sacked Minister of Forestry Nurmahmudi
Ismail.

The latest move comes at a time when Abdurrahman is facing the
likelihood of a second memorandum following a House of
Representatives censure for his alleged involvement in two
financial scandals.

The prosecution of high profile corruption cases, particularly
those in the New Order era, is one of the duties to which
Abdurrahman was assigned when he took office in October 1999 and
which could become a high profile political commodity in his bid
to fight off attacks against his presidency.

The attorney general's office has been under fire for failing
to bring former president Soeharto to trial for corruption.

There is also pressure to bring top military and police
officers to court for alleged human rights abuses in the former
Indonesian province of East Timor.

To make matters worse, attempts to detain Soeharto's youngest
son, Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, who has been convicted of
corruption have been completely bungled. Tommy remains at large.

Denial

Despite Wimar's assertions, Marzuki quickly launched a
stinging denial chiding the presidential spokesman as a person
who "needs to be straightened out."

"I draw the conclusion that what was said by Wimar strayed
from what was meant, which twisted the announcement from the
results of the evaluation with the President on the prospects of
law enforcement in Indonesia," Marzuki said.

"I have telephoned and talked to the President, (to ask him)
whether it was really the President who sent that message through
Wimar, and this has been fully denied by Gus Dur," Marzuki told
journalists.

He accused Wimar of "deviating" from the facts and creating
what appeared to be "a political problem over the relations
between the attorney general and the President."

"The President has never intervened in the process of law
enforcement handled by the attorney general's office," Marzuki
said.

"The President fully understands that the process of law
enforcement is adjusted to fluctuations in the political
situation," he added.

Earlier in the day Abdurrahman, during an interview with a
number of Australian journalists, said he was under pressure to
replace Marzuki for failing to bring top political figures
accused of corruption and human rights abuses to trial.

In the transcript of the interview, a copy of which was
obtained by The Jakarta Post, Abdurrahman said that "the end of
this month" deadline was set to make Marzuki "work harder".

"I said to the attorney general that he has until the end of
this month to detain three important people ... and if not, I
will replace him," Abdurrahman said, adding that "only through
this way can I make him work harder".

When pressed to disclose whom the three were, Abdurrahman
said: "I will not disclose the names because this is not fair."
(byg/bby)