Police fails to question Nurdin

JAKARTA (JP): Former legislator Nurdin Halid, who is an executive of wholesaler PT Goro Batara Sakti, was too busy to come to police headquarters to answer questions about the alleged misappropriation of 100,000 tons of sugar by the company, an officer said Thursday.

City police detectives' chief of general crimes, Comr. Tito Karnavian, said that four officials from PT GBS and four others from PT Al Khaleez Sugar, the sugar firm which reported the alleged crime, were questioned on Wednesday in connection with the report.

"Nurdin Halid himself did not show up on Wednesday since he claimed he was very busy," Comr. Karnavian, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday by telephone.

PT GBS has been accused of stealing 100,000 tons of sugar from the warehouse of PT Al Khaleez Sugar Co., last December.

Nurdin, the president of the Confederation of Primary Cooperatives (Inkud), was acquitted in March 1999 of 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. (ylt)