Soeharto case to be submitted to court

Soeharto case to be submitted to court

JAKARTA (JP): Corruption charges against former president
Soeharto will be filed in the court before expiration of the last
extension of his city arrest status on Aug. 10 at the latest,
Attorney General Marzuki Darusman announced on Friday.

"I have reported to President Abdurrahman Wahid (during the
cabinet meeting on Wednesday) that the investigation into
Soeharto's case is expected to be completed before the expiration
of the last extension of Soeharto's city arrest on August 10.

"So, it can be expected that the dossiers (on Soeharto) will
be submitted to the court within two months from now," Marzuki
told a press conference at his office.

Soeharto was first placed under city arrest for 20 days on
April 13, then for another 40 days from May 3 to June 11 for the
sake of the investigation.

Under the current law, Marzuki said, the city arrest order
could be extended twice, 30 days each, to allow the Attorney
General's Office to prepare the charge documents.

He refused to detail the charges, but has said previously they
will involve both corruption and abuse of power.

Marzuki also said that the official security for Soeharto
would be reduced to a "minimum level" if the former president and
his family did not comply with efforts to locate assets which
allegedly were illicitly amassed during his 32 years in power.

"I have been instructed by the President to convey to Soeharto
that if there is no cooperation and goodwill from the former
president and his family in returning the funds, that were
allegedly swindled, his official protection from the state will
be reduced to the lowest level," Marzuki said.

He did not elaborate, but said: "the security protection will
be at the level that the government is required to provide for
him and his family and no more than that".

Later in the day, Marzuki was quoted by Budiman Sudjatmiko,
Democratic People's Party chairman, as saying that Soeharto's
security guards who were not part of the official security unit
"have posed resistance" to the Attorney General's Office's
investigation.

Marzuki's statement came as demands have mounted for the
present government to bring Soeharto to justice.

Hundreds of student protesters clashed with police last week
after they attempted to force their way into the former
president's residence on Jl. Cendana in a Central Jakarta
upmarket housing complex.

Anti-Soeharto protests near the former ruler's house have so
far been dispersed due to the presence of a strong security
force.

When asked whether the statement to reduce security protection
for Soeharto was a threat, Marzuki said: "It is not a threat, it
is recognition of the limitation of what the government can do to
ensure the protection of Mr. Soeharto as far as the government's
obligation is concerned".

"I can only relay the message of the President that he feels
this needs to be announced because the government does not hear
any cooperation from Soeharto's side," he added.

The 78-year-old retired five-star general is suspected of
abusing his power and authority in issuing decrees and government
regulations to amass funds through his seven charitable
foundations.

Estimates of the fortune that Suharto and his family allegedly
amassed have ranged from a few hundred million to over 10 billion
dollars.

The Attorney General's Office has summoned executives of the
foundations, including two of Soeharto's children. The office
also confiscated documents relating to the Supersemar Foundation
and Dharmais Foundation as evidence in the case.

Soeharto has been questioned three times by the Attorney
General's Office, but at least once questioning was cut short
after doctors insisted Soeharto was too ill to continue.

His lawyers have repeatedly said Soeharto is unable to undergo
questioning, because he cannot communicate clearly as a result of
the stroke he suffered last year. (01/byg)