Muladi blames successor for graft in State Secretariat
Muladi blames successor for graft in State Secretariat
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Former state secretary Muladi said on Tuesday he intended to report his successor Ali Rahman to the police for manipulation and deception over alleged corruption cases in the State Secretariat.
Muladi, a legal expert who currently heads the National Resilience Institute (Lemhannas) -- the government's think tank, was speaking to journalists after being questioned by the Attorney General's Office (AGO) as a witness in connection with the alleged graft cases.
The questions were focused on the transfer by the State Secretariat of a land concession in the Bung Karno Sports Stadium complex to PT Indobuild, which is owned by businessman Pontjo Sutowo.
The transfer took place when Muladi served as state secretary during the B.J. Habibie administration in 1999. He was later replaced by Ali Rahman who served in office for only three months under the government of Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid.
Muladi denied that he had issued any approval for the transfer of the concession, instead blaming the case on Ali Rachman, whom he said he would sue.
Muladi said he had refused to grant the concession to PT Indobuild Co. until the company fulfilled certain obligations and carried out the necessary study required by the Sports Stadium complex's management.
As these conditions had not been fulfilled, Muladi said he had never given his approval for the transfer.
Muladi accused Ali of having ordered his staff to steal some signed documents from the State Secretariat and forward them to the National Land Agency (BPN).
"Through such improper practices, the documents that I had earlier prepared, but not issued, were ultimately issued and given new numbers and dates to look as though they were issued while I was still in office," he said as quoted by detikcom news portal.
However, Muladi said he would wait for further developments in the case at the AGO over the next few days before reporting Ali to the police.
He said he could present witnesses to testify against Ali Rahman, including document validation expert Erman Rajagukguk, and two State Secretariat employees, Renaldi Gajuk and Mardowo.
Prosecutors have also questioned former Jakarta governor Ali Sadikin in relation to a another transfer of land concessions in the sports stadium complex. Other former state secretaries could be summoned over similar cases.
The probe into corruption allegedly involving the State Secretariat had been halted for several months reportedly due to the late submission of audit reports by the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK).