President to be cleared of charges in Bruneigate
President to be cleared of charges in Bruneigate
JAKARTA (JP): The Embassy of Brunei Darussalam to Indonesia
has confirmed that the US$2 million donation in financial aid
from the sultanate to the President Abdurrahman Wahid was a
private donation, Deputy Attorney for Special Crime Bachtiar
Fahri Nasution said on Monday.
"The donation was given by the sultanate because of their
personal relationship ... It is quite clear that the fund has
nothing to do with a donation from government to government,"
Fahri told reporters after the inauguration ceremony of new
officials at the Attorney General's Office here.
Fahri was referring to the controversial Brunei scandal,
which, along with another financial scam -- the Bulogate, had led
to the issuance of two censures from the House of
Representatives, which could lead to the President's impeachment.
Buloggate centers around the misuse of the disbursement of Rp
35 billion rupiah (US$3 million) from Yanatera -- the State
Logistics Agency's employees welfare fund, allegedly withdrawn by
a masseur and business associate of the President.
Gus Dur, as the President is popularly known, has been quizzed
over both scandals. The investigation which was held at the State
Palace was conducted by Chairuman Harahap of the Attorney
General's Office on May 5.
When asked about the Office's conclusion over its
investigation on the two cases, Fahri said: "We are still
evaluating the cases, and the conclusion will be disclosed soon."
He said that the office had questioned 34 witnesses in the two
scandals, including former members of the House of
Representatives' special committee on Buloggate and Bruneigate.
The questioning of the legislators was held at the House.
He said the office had named four suspects in the Bulog scam
-- Bulog's former deputy chief Sapuan, the president's former
masseur Alip Agung Suwondo, and two officials of the agency.
Sapuan has been sentenced to two years in jail while Suwondo
is being tried at the North Jakarta District Court. (02)