Nurdin to be questioned in Goro Batara Sakti case

JAKARTA (JP): City police will question former legislator Nurdin Halid as a witness on Monday in connection with a complaint filed by a sugar firm against wholesaler PT Goro Batara Sakti (GBS).

The complaint states that PT GBS allegedly stole 100,000 tons of sugar from the warehouse of PT Al Khaleez Sugar Co. last December.

City police detective chief of general crimes, Comr. Tito Karnavian, said on Friday that Nurdin, an executive of PT GBS, could undergo a series of questioning.

"The case is about sugar and involves PT Al Khaleez. Nurdin will come back on Monday for questioning ... I can't give you any more details," Tito told The Jakarta Post and Media Indonesia dailies on Friday.

According to a police source, the investigation is being carried out based on police report no. 199/K/I/2001/SATGA OPS "A", dated Jan. 16 this year.

Quoting the report, the police source said a lawyer of PT Al Khaleez, Selamat Lumban Gaol, lodged the complaint against PT GBS's operational manager, Hamka BK.

Selamat said in the report the alleged "break-in and robbery" occurred on Dec. 12 last year when Hamka and his men broke into the sugar firm's warehouse on Jl. Agung Karya VIII in Sunter, North Jakarta, and drove away with tens of thousands of tons of sugar.

"Selamat told police that 100,000 tons of Dubai-imported sugar was supposed to be bought by PT GBS from PT Al Khaleez, as stated in a 1999 contract between the two companies," the source said, quoting the report.

"The 1999 contract states that PT GBS was supposed to pay a 20 percent down payment of the set price to PT Al Khaleez, before Dec. 10, 1999, for the purchase of the sugar."

Quoting Selamat's statement in the report, the source added that to date, the down payment had not been paid.

"Without the knowledge of PT Al Khaleez owners, the sugar in the warehouse was suddenly taken by Hamka and his men. Hamka did this by breaking into the sugar warehouse."

Nurdin was acquitted in March 1999 of all corruption charges leveled at him for allegedly embezzling Rp 115.77 billion (US$12 million) from farmers' compulsory accounts at a local cooperative center during his term as the manager between 1992 and 1994.

Nurdin is the president of the Confederation of Primary Cooperatives Association (Inkud), which in 1998 took over Goro wholesaler firm. (ylt)