'No limit' set for Soeharto's medical costs

'No limit' set for Soeharto's medical costs

JAKARTA (JP): Prosecutor Muchtar Arifin said on Friday that
the state is not limiting the funds earmarked for former
president Soeharto's medical treatment, while the state-appointed
team of physicians has calculated that it would cost some Rp 100
million (US$10,000) per month.

"There is yet to be a limit set for the expenses...the
important thing is (how) to make Soeharto fit enough to stand
trial," he told journalists at the Attorney General's Office
compound.

"But it should be carried out efficiently and effectively
because we will be responsible for all the expenses, which will
also be audited by the Supreme Audit Agency," he quickly added.

He said, however, that the government might not actually spend
Rp 100 million per month, as some particular medical procedures
would no longer be used in the future.

Muchtar explained that the expense of Rp 100 million is for
medical equipment, medicine and other medical measures taken by
the 23 members of the Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital (RSCM) team.

"This does not include the doctors' fees," he said.

The team of doctors are giving neurological treatment for the
ailing 79-year-old former ruler, who suffered three strokes after
resigning as President in the middle of 1998.

They will start psychiatric treatment next month.

Last year, a district court dropped the case against Soeharto,
a suspect in a US$571 million graft case, since he failed to
attend trial due to ill-health.

Earlier last month, the Supreme Court ordered the prosecutors
to put Soeharto's medical treatment under the state's supervision
and expenses.

Muchtar said that the prosecutors and the RSCM doctors would
hold a meeting on Monday to further discuss the expenses and on
March 29 to discuss Soeharto's latest health condition during a
month of treatment.

On Friday, state prosecutors questioned businessman Praptono
H. Upojo, president of oil company PT Ustraindo Petro Gas (PT
UPG), as a suspect in the markup of government projects with the
state oil and gas company Pertamina.

Praptono told journalists after being grilled for more than
five hours that instead of having caused losses to the state, his
company had given benefit to Pertamina because it was PT UPG
which bore all the production costs.

State prosecutors have also named former ministers of mines
and energy Ginandjar Kartasasmita and his successor Ida Bagus
Sudjana and former Pertamina president Faisal Abda'oe as suspects
in the case for awarding the project to PT UPG to provide
allegedly unnecessary technical assistance to the still-
productive oil fields.

Sudjana testified that the project had been halted due to PT
UPG's bad performance which had inflicted losses to the state.

Praptono, who admitted being close to the former Soeharto
first family, said that his company had been promised $230
million foreign loans from a business partner but the investor
later broke the promise.

"Our failure to carry out the projects was mainly caused by
our partner's failure to fulfill all the financial commitments as
promised," he said.

Also on Friday, the prosecutors examined Rossano Barrack,
president of PT Triharsa Bimanusa Tunggal, a company belonging to
Soeharto's eldest daughter Siti Hardiyanti "Tutut" Rukmana, for
his part in an alleged mark-up of the construction of oil
pipelines in Java. (bby)