Officials of Soeharto's foundations queried
JAKARTA (JP): Attorney General Lt. Gen. Andi Muhammad Ghalib said yesterday his office had questioned several of the officials who manage four giant charities chaired by former president Soeharto.
Ghalib said he was hopeful the foundations' audits would be completed faster than the four months allotted by the government.
He told reporters, however, that the process was much more complicated than many people might think because the foundations involved many people and myriad transactions.
"If we want to get the complete results, we must be patient. We cannot rush it," he said after meeting President B.J. Habibie at the Bina Graha presidential office.
The four foundations -- Amal Bakti Muslim Pancasila, Supersemar, Dharmais and Dakab -- have reportedly accumulated about Rp 2.63 trillion (US$175 million), mostly from members of the public.
Ghalib said the foundations' officials summoned for questioning include Zahid Hussein, Dakab's treasurer, and Ali Affandi, Supersemar's treasurer.
He promised to give more details this afternoon.
Ghalib said the Attorney General Office's preliminary investigation into allegations that the former president had assets overseas had unearthed nothing.
"We are very serious. Do you have any evidence? If you do, please come forward. Even Pak Harto has challenged anyone who has any data. We are open," he said when a journalist expressed doubts that the government was serious in its investigation.
Habibie has revoked all Soeharto's decrees which authorized the foundations to collect money from the public.
Amal Bakti Muslim Pancasila was established in 1982 with the purpose of building mosques and financing religious activities.
The foundation came under severe criticisms in 1992 when it began to take Rp 50 directly from the monthly salaries of low- level Moslem civil servants and members of the Armed Forces (ABRI), and Rp 1,000 from more senior officials.
Dharmais had been receiving funds from state-run banks which were ordered by the Ministry of Finance in 1978 to contribute 5 percent of their net profit to the group.
Supersemar was formed in 1974 to provide scholarships for students from elementary school to postgraduate level.
The Dakab foundation was set up in July 1985 mainly to finance Golkar activities.
Dharmais, Supersemar and Dakab jointly control 79.29 percent of publicly listed Bank Duta. The Nusamba Group, which is also controlled by the three foundations, also has a 10 percent stake in the country's biggest carmaker, PT Astra International. (prb)