Rahardi not on Interpol wanted list, police say

JAKARTA (JP): The name of former minister of trade and industry and former chairman of the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) Rahardi Ramelan who is reportedly visiting Boston, U.S., has yet to be put on Interpol's wanted list, an officer said on Friday.

Deputy spokesman of the National Police Brig. Gen. Edward Aritonang told reporters that although police have been requested by the Attorney General's Office to "search for Rahardi and take him home for questioning", they should first study the case.

"We are still studying the case. We have to be careful because we are afraid that the arrest could be used for certain interests of the Attorney General's Office," Aritonang said, adding he was not trying to downplay the request made by the prosecutors' office.

"We are just being careful," he reiterated.

Rahardi was named a suspect in a 1998 corruption case involving Bulog. Prosecutors at the Attorney General's Office have documents showing that a disbursement of Rp 54 billion (US$6 million) of Bulog's non-budgetary funds had not been accounted for.

Rahardi has been reportedly summoned four times by the Attorney General's Office but has never showed up.

According to Aritonang, police could put Rahardi on Interpol's wanted list or request the American police to arrest him and extradite him to Indonesia.

"But apparently our Interpol officers are still studying the case," Aritonang said.

Meanwhile, earlier in the day, National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Didi Widayadi said that Rahardi had telephoned National Police chief Gen. Bimantoro late on Thursday.

Rahardi reportedly asked Bimantoro not to put his name on Interpol's wanted list as he promised to return to Indonesia on Sept. 29., Didi said as quoted by news portal Satunet.

To police Rahardi said he could not meet the prosecutors' summons because he was still tied to a teaching contract with a university in Boston.

"We will see if he (Rahardi) keeps his promise on Sept. 29," Didi said.

"But if he still does not show up by that date, we will put him on the wanted list."

Didi said police could understand that Rahardi could not return to the country as flights from and to the U.S. were suspended following recent terrorist plane attacks in New York and Washington D.C. (emf)