Soeharto fit to face questioning

By Budiman Moerdijat and Kornelius Purba

JAKARTA (JP): A report from an independent medical examination team indicated that former president Soeharto is healthy enough to face questioning for alleged corruption during his three- decade rule.

A source close to the state-appointed medical team told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday that Soeharto was declared medically fit after undergoing two examinations last week.

But he would not say whether questioning the 78-year-old former ruler would be feasible since he has trouble speaking.

Attorney General Marzuki Darusman when asked by the Post to confirm the report said that it was possible to assume Soeharto was fit to face questioning.

"I have read the report and it is possible to conclude that from the report of the RSCM medical team it is possible to hold further questioning on Pak Harto," he said.

"However this probably needs further clarification with the RSCM team of doctors," he added.

The Attorney General's Office received the report from the state-appointed doctors on Wednesday. Earlier the six-member medical team was seen visiting President Abdurrahman Wahid at Bina Graha presidential office.

Hours later in a media briefing Director of Corruption Affairs Chaerul Umam acknowledged that report had been received but refused to divulge whether it had given a green light for prosecutors to start questioning Soeharto.

"This evening the Attorney General's Office received a letter from a team of doctors from Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital (RSCM) ... but we still can't announce what steps need to be taken as we need to study the report," he told journalists after abruptly taking over the media conference from Marzuki.

Chaerul said the meeting to study the medical report would take place on Thursday.

"Let us have the meeting first tomorrow. It will only take several hours and after that we will report to Attorney General (Marzuki Darusman). He will be the one to announce what steps should be taken," Chaerul said.

He added that the medical team was also scheduled to attend Thursday's meeting "to explain to us the medical terms written in the report".

"I do not know whether (the results) have been reported or not (to the President). What is clear is that I have been at the office all day and I am not reporting (anything) to anyone," Chaerul replied when asked if the President had received the report.

Soeharto was examined by six doctors from RSCM twice last week to determine whether he is fit to face questioning. The doctors included an internist, a cardiologist, a neurologist and a psychologist.

The decision to conduct an independent medical examination on Soeharto was taken after the former president's lawyers insisted that their client was medically unfit to undergo questioning.

He was twice hospitalized last year, once for a mild stroke and again for intestinal bleeding.

Soeharto was named as a suspect for alleged corruption during his rule after Marzuki decided to reopen the case in December.

Soeharto was summoned for questioning in February but failed to appear for medical reasons.

Initially Soeharto missed a scheduled medical examination at RSCM. But a turnaround occurred after President Abdurrahman visited Soeharto at his residence on March 8.

Spokesman for Soeharto's lawyers, Juan Felix Tampubolon, last week that his client would cooperate with the Attorney General's Office if the medical examination verified he was fit enough to do so.