Marzuki seeks Swiss's help to find Soeharto's account

Marzuki seeks Swiss's help to find Soeharto's account

JAKARTA (JP): Attorney General Marzuki Darusman reiterated on
Friday his appeal to the Swiss government to help the Indonesian
authorities probe former president Soeharto's financial wealth
which might be hidden in that country.

Marzuki also disclosed that the government was awaiting
reports from Indonesian embassies on foreign assets owned by the
former first family.

The Attorney General's Office itself is concentrating its work
on possibly seizing the former first family's assets in
Indonesia.

"We hope all these efforts will be successful in the near
future," Marzuki told journalists at his office without further
elaboration.

Two days after obtaining an approval from the South Jakarta
District Court to seize the Granadi Building, owned by a
Soeharto-chaired foundation, five state prosecutors confiscated
documents relating to activities of the Supersemar Foundation.

Supersemar is one of seven charitable foundations chaired by
the former ruler, who has been officially declared a suspect in
possible graft and abuse of power.

Marzuki said that his office delayed the seizure of the land
and the building to avoid misunderstandings that would likely
come from several parties, including Soeharto's lawyers and
supporters.

"I would prefer to be cautious in handling this matter in
order to avoid mistakes which could hamper the whole
investigation process," he said, adding that the documents would
be used to verify the ownership of the land and the building.

Separately, former minister of justice Muladi urged the
government on Friday to step up its diplomatic efforts in finding
the assets of Soeharto and his family in Austria, Switzerland and
the United States.

Muladi indicated he had strong clues pointing to Soeharto
owning bank accounts in these countries.

Time magazine in a report last year alleged that billions of
dollars had been funneled into overseas accounts during
Soeharto's rule.

Muladi, who was assigned by then president B.J. Habibie to
lead a failed government investigation team to Austria and
Switzerland in June last year, stressed that the government
should not give up its efforts.

Muladi said that at the time Austria and the United States
declared that they could not find accounts belonging to Soeharto,
while Switzerland only said that it would help Indonesia if
Soeharto was officially charged.

"But it does not mean there is no (Soeharto) money there,
because it would have been impossible for (Soeharto) to do it in
such a transparent way," Muladi told journalists on the sidelines
of a seminar here.

This was one of the first times Muladi explicitly disclosed
his belief in the possibility of Soeharto's deposits overseas.

"We must work hard to prove the money laundering, because the
process is legally complicated," Muladi acknowledged.

During a visit to Bern on Jan. 31 this year, President
Abdurrahman Wahid officially asked Swiss President Adolf Ogi to
help Indonesia in its efforts to trace Soeharto's assets.
(01/dja/prb)