Soeharto formally charged with corruption

JAKARTA (JP): Former president Soeharto was formally charged with corruption on Thursday following an exhaustive eight months of investigation.

The Attorney General's Office handed over the case, including its jurisdiction to put Soeharto under house arrest, to the Jakarta Prosecutor's Office at the former ruler's residence on Jl. Cendana, Central Jakarta.

The government has also issued a warrant to keep Soeharto under house arrest for another 20 days in place of the existing warrant which was due to expire on Aug. 10.

Soeharto, whose status shifted from suspect to defendant in a corruption case on Thursday, was charged under the 1971 Corruption Law. He is accused of using his position as chairman of seven charity foundations to amass wealth causing Rp 1.4 trillion and US$416 million in losses to the state.

A secondary charge invokes the same legislation accusing the 79-year old Soeharto of abusing his power.

Director of Investigation Ris Pandapotan Sihombing told journalists at his office that six general prosecutors have been appointed to handle the case against Soeharto.

"As soon as they complete the indictment, likely to be in the next few days, they will file the case with the court," he said, adding that the case would be tried at the South Jakarta District Court, where most of the evidence is located.

The prosecuting team, five general prosecutors and one provincial prosecutor, is led by Umbu Lage Lozara and includes Y.W. Mere, Mia Amiati, Febriyanto, Agus Sutoto and Heri Wahyudi.

Soeharto's lawyers blasted the government's decision to extend the house arrest, labeling it as excessive and claiming that their client had fully cooperated throughout the investigation and, given his ailing health, was not likely to flee.

"It goes to show how arbitrary the actions of the Attorney General's Office are," lawyer Juan Felix Tampubolon told journalists after the handover ceremony at the Jl. Cendana residence.

Another lawyer, Muhamad Assegaf, warned that Soeharto's health could prevent him from attending the trial, saying that the former president did not have the ability to understand a complex situation or to make coherent sentences.

"Doctors have confirmed that Pak Harto's speech difficulty came as a side-effect of his damaged brain. In such a condition, what can you expect from a trial?" Assegaf asked.

Attorney General Marzuki Darusman has repeatedly insisted that Soeharto is still capable of attending a trial.

The hand over of the case and the jurisdiction of the defendant was conducted at his residence because the former president could not be present at the Attorney General's Office, where such a transfer should have been conducted.

An independent medical team had corroborated the claim by Soeharto's private doctors that he was too ill to appear before the Jakarta Prosecutors Office in South Jakarta on Thursday.

The residence was tightly guarded by police.

Tampubolon said Soeharto's family never asked for such heavy protection and that the initiative had come from the police.

Also handed over was the evidence to be used in the case, including titles to the seized Granadi Building on Jl. Rasuna Said, and a resthouse in Puncak, West Java, as well as documents concerning Soeharto's charity foundations.

Attorney General's Office spokesman Yushar Yahya described Soeharto as looking healthy but walking unsteadily during the brief ceremony.

He emerged from his bedroom, assisted by his daughter Siti Hadijanti Rukmana, to greet the prosecutors.

Soeharto signed the notification of his status as defendant in the case, provided by the South Jakarta Prosecutor's Office, in his room, while his lawyers signed the arrest notification, Yushar added.

The prosecutors told Soeharto that they have completed the investigation and were now ready to proceed with the prosecution.

"He greeted us, saying: Thank you, you have done your job. I expect justice," Yushar quoted the former president.

Later that day, some 300 students rallying under the City Forum (Forkot), staged a noisy march towards Soeharto's residence. The march stopped at Jl. Suwiryo, about 300 meters away, as they encountered a line of police.

The students called on the government to put Soeharto on trial and to outlaw his Golkar party.

The students dispersed a few hours later. (bby/lup)