President's OK sought to query Subiakto

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Jakarta Police awaited permission from President Megawati Soekarnoputri to question a member of the People's Consultative Assembly, Subiakto Tjakrawerdaya, who was suspected of involvement in a Rp 10 billion land scam at the State Logistics Agency (Bulog), an officer said on Friday.

Chief of the city police detective unit, Sr. Comr. Adang Rochjana, said the request to question Subiyakto, who held the position of cooperative minister under the administration of former president Soeharto, had been sent through the National Police and the Attorney General's Office.

According to Adang, two summons had earlier been sent to Subiakto but the latter refused to appear, saying he needed to receive permission from the president in relation to any questioning on criminal cases.

Subiakto was allegedly implicated in the case in relation to his position as the chairman of the cooperative ministry's own employees' cooperative in 1990 during which funds of Rp 10 billion were disbursed to purchase a 4003 square meter block of land on Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said, Kuningan, South Jakarta, which belonged to Bambang Trihatmodjo.

Bambang is Soeharto's second eldest son.

Police opened the investigation following reports from several employees who said that the land price had been marked up to conceal the presence of the remaining funds.