Pressures mount for House to probe Akbar

Pressures mount for House to probe Akbar

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Pressures grew stronger Monday for the House of Representatives
to set up a special committee to investigate the embezzlement of
Rp 54.6 billion funds (about $5 million) from the State Logistics
Agency (Bulog), allegedly involving House Speaker Akbar Tandjung.

At least four pro-reform organizations met leaders of the
House's Reform Faction to demand the establishment of such a
special committee to investigate the scandal involving Bulog
money, which is meant to be used to provide food subsidies for
the poor.

The four groups were, Petition 50, the Forum for the Alliance
of Muslim-Based Parties (FAPPI), the New Order Surveillance
Committee (KWOB) and the Marhaen People's Movement (GRM).

The demands came as the House planned on Tuesday to commence
talks on various issues after more than three weeks of recess.

Judilherry Justam, spokesman for the groups, claimed that a
House special committee is urgently needed because the legal
investigation into the scandal by the Attorney General's Office
(AGO) would most likely be unable to uncover the scam.

Judilherry claimed he is prepared to help prove the
involvement of Akbar -- and his colleagues within the Golkar
Party -- in the scandal if requested.

Many have alleged that the money was used to help finance
Golkar's campaign activities and fund the operations of militias
in East Timor.

Akbar admitted that he had disbursed Rp 40 billion of the
funds to the Islamic Raudlatul Jannah Foundation for humanitarian
programs during the peak of the nation's economic crisis in 1999.

Former military chief Gen. (ret.) Wiranto also admitted that
he received Rp 10 billion of the money.

However, both Akbar and Wiranto denied misusing the funds for
their own political interests.

On Monday, Akbar denied reports that half of the funds he
received from Bulog were disbursed for the political interests of
Golkar.

The money had reportedly went to Golkar following the
discovery of some incriminating invoices signed by party
treasurers Fadel Muhammad and Muhammad Sulaiman Hidayat.

"What invoices? I don't know anything about them. It has been
made up for certain reasons. If I am asked to be questioned once
again (at the AGO), I would be glad to do so," Akbar said.

Akbar claimed that the reports emanate from those, whom he
alleges, want to tarnish Golkar's image.

The reports said the two invoices, issued by Bank Exim and
Bank Bukopin on March 2 1999, were promptly signed by two
different people on the same day without clearly printing their
names below the signatures.

The signatories were believed to be Fadel and Hidayat as the
signatures on the invoices matched those on their ID cards as
well as those appearing on other official Golkar letters.

Fadel denied the reports, but the AGO determined the copies of
the invoices to be genuine.

AGO spokesman Mulyohardjo on Sunday said his office would ask
Bank Indonesia to open investigations into the bank accounts of
Fadel and Hidayat.

On Monday, Mulyohardjo said his office had summoned former
president B.J. Habibie for questioning on Wednesday in connection
with the scandal.

Akbar and Wiranto said Habibie had instructed then-Bulog chief
Rahardi Ramelan to use the funds for humanitarian programs when
serving as president in 1999. Rahardi has been named a suspect in
the case.

Mulyohardjo said Habibie would be quizzed as a witness, adding
that his office had also summoned 20 other witnesses in the
scandal.

Meanwhile, several legislators opposed growing demands for the
House to set up a special committee on the scandal citing that
the AGO had already initiated an investigation of the case.

Surya Dharma Ali of the United Development Party (PPP) and
Suparlan of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
Perjuangan) doubted that the committee would carry out its tasks
effectively.

"There is no need to set up a special committee. It will be
better to wait for the investigation being done by the Attorney
General's Office," Surya said.

Suparlan added: "All that we can do is to keep the
investigation process by the AGO on the right track."