Soeharto ready to face probe
JAKARTA (JP): Former president Soeharto, the target of a new government corruption probe, said on Friday that he is ready to face questioning, but he also pleaded for the public to stop condemning him and his family.
Meanwhile, Attorney General Lt. Gen. Andi Muhammad Ghalib, who was ordered by President B.J. Habibie to launch the investigation, disclosed that a summons had been sent to Soeharto's residence and questioning would begin next week.
In the first public comments by Soeharto since students stepped up their pressure on the government to open the inquiry into his alleged wealth a few months ago, Soeharto said he was not above the law.
"This is not a challenge. I realize that as an Indonesian citizen, I cannot free myself from my legal obligations. But every one should know that this is a state based on law, and every citizen is entitled to legal protections," he told visiting executives of a publication belonging to his Dharmais foundation.
His remarks were made public by the executives.
Soeharto disclosed that he had Rp 22 billion ($3 million) deposited in three banks, not Rp 72 billion as the government had earlier claimed, and that his personal property includes two houses in Jakarta and five hectares of land, including the one in Surakarta in Central Java.
He said the money was saved from his salaries and pensions from his time in the Armed Forces and his 32 years as president, as well as his official travel allowances, dollar-denominated rentals of two houses in Jakarta -- one in Menteng and another in Rawamangun -- plus the interest earned on these bank deposits.
He hastily added that both houses, which were rented to foreigners, were purchased before he became president in 1966.
All other property belonged to the charity foundations which he chaired, he said.
This week, Soeharto handed over the assets of the seven foundations, worth a total of Rp 4 trillion, to the government.
According to official records, Soeharto's last monthly salary as president was Rp 15 million, while his pension was slightly lower.
In July, Soeharto turned down Habibie's offer of Rp 26.5 billion for a house he was legally entitled to as a former president when news of the offer stirred a public outcry.
Soeharto said that he hoped every one could look at the issue regarding him and his family with a clear conscience. He added that he remained steadfast in facing the public condemnations.
When asked about students' attempts to protest at his Jl. Cendana residence, Soeharto said that they would be better off protesting at the House of Representatives building. "Not here, they won't find anything. I have abdicated," he said, using the term he often uses to refer to his decision to step down on May 21 in the face of massive student protests.
Soeharto said that at least 22 lawyers have offered their services to help defend him in the investigation. They include notable names like O.C. Kaligis, Minangwarman and Adnan Buyung Nasution. He said that he would contact them if and when he needed them. "But I will only need several lawyers, not all of them."
Pressure
President Habibie, reacting to mounting public pressure, issued a decree on Thursday ordering Ghalib to investigate Soeharto on charges of alleged corruption, collusion and nepotism. The decree also stipulated the need to uphold the principle of the presumption of innocence.
But while the decree was very wide in scope, Ghalib appeared to focus on the Rp 22 billion in bank accounts under Soeharto's name that his office has been able to uncover so far.
Ghalib said that Soeharto's accounts were found at a BCA branch in Asemka, the Kebon Sirih branch of BBD, at Bank Muamalat, Bank Tabungan Negara and the little know Bank Pesona.
Soeharto said that he has bank accounts only at BCA, BBD and BRI.
"I have sent a letter this afternoon directly to his (Soeharto's) residence on Jl. Cendana," Ghalib told journalists at his office, contradicting a statement he made earlier in the morning that he was planning to send the letter some time next week.
When asked whether he had enough evidence to place Soeharto under arrest, Ghalib replied, "We must proceed carefully. This is a big and interesting affair."
Minister/State Secretary Akbar Tandjung said Ghalib could put Soeharto under house arrest if it was deemed necessary.
"We leave it entirely to the Attorney General to decide on the most appropriate and effective steps to take to implement the presidential instruction," Akbar said.
Some political observers on Friday expressed doubts about the seriousness of the government's investigation, in spite of Habibie's decree.
Arbi Sanit of the University of Indonesia said the decree was merely a move to placate critics.
"I have always doubted the government's sincerity in launching such an investigation. They were never serious with their statements," Arbi told The Jakarta Post.
He said that Habibie knew that if the investigation reached the courts, there would be a devastating backlash against the whole government.
Acting chairman of Muhammadiyah Syafii Ma'arif said he did not believe Habibie had the political will to probe his one-time mentor. "The psychological barrier is too big," Syafii said in Yogyakarta.
Meanwhile, acting chairman of the Association of Moslem Scholars, Ahmad Tirtosudiro, said, "The presidential decree is proof that he (President B.J. Habibie) does have the guts to investigate Soeharto contrary to widespread allegations." (prb/imn/44/emb)