Riady denies offering Clinton $1m

Riady denies offering Clinton $1m

WASHINGTON (AP): The Indonesian billionaire who has agreed to plead guilty to making illegal donations to Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign denied having a conversation with the candidate about raising US$1 million for the race, court records show.

James Riady "told Clinton that he would be supportive" of Clinton's campaign, meaning that he would provide financial support, but never mentioned $1 million during a conversation the two had in Clinton's limousine after a campaign event August 1992, according to a summary of information Riady has provided to federal prosecutors as part of a plea agreement.

"Riady did not suggest a $1 million figure to Clinton at any time," said the summary, contained in papers filed Monday by federal prosecutors in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, where he is to be sentenced this coming Monday.

The summary, Riady's first account of his fund-raising activities to be made public, was released Wednesday by the Justice Department.

Riady has agreed to pay a record $8.6 million criminal fine and plead guilty to using corporate funds from his foreign Lippo Group to reimburse contributors Clinton's presidential campaign, the Justice Department said on Jan. 11, nine days before Clinton left office.

Foreign campaign contributions are illegal under U.S. law.

The 1992 limousine ride was the focus of intense scrutiny by congressional investigators looking into campaign fund-raising during Clinton's 1992 and 1996 campaigns.

Riady also told investigators that no one at the Clinton White House urged him to hire presidential friend Webster Hubbell, who pleaded guilty to a felony in the Whitewater investigation, the summary said.

Riady's account of the limousine talk contradicts what fund- raiser John Huang has told the FBI.

Huang, who worked for the Riady family before getting a job in the Clinton administration and becoming a Democratic Party fund- raiser, said Riady told Clinton during the ride that he wanted to raise $1 million, according to an FBI summary.

Huang said Riady later told him that Clinton acted surprised when Riady said he would raise the money.

Riady denied saying this in interviews with federal prosecutors, according to the court filing.

He said he told Huang after the ride that he wanted to contribute money to Clinton, then Arkansas governor, and contended that Huang suggested the $1 million figure.

Huang was sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to conspiring to violate federal fund-raising laws.

Clinton told federal investigators that he did not specifically remember the ride or his conversation with Riady. Clinton said he only remembered seeing Riady "sometime in '92 after I became the nominee," and that Riady pledged to help his campaign.

Riady will surrender and come to the United States even though Indonesia has no extradition treaty with Washington. He has agreed to waive re-entry to the United States for two years, except to cooperate with the continuing investigation.