Soeharto says he is willing to be investigated

JAKARTA (JP): Former president Soeharto has challenged any one accusing him of stashing funds abroad to come up with evidence.

"I don't own a single bank account abroad," Soeharto said in a news release issued by Dharmais, one of the foundations he chairs, yesterday

"If anyone can find an account under my name abroad, then report it. If they want to take it (the money), I'll even sign the checks," he said in his first public comment on allegations that he amassed vast wealth during his 32 years in power.

The 77-year-old former president said he would cooperate with the government in any investigation into the funds handled by the various foundations he set up while president.

Officials of the foundations have defended the reputation of the organizations on behalf of Soeharto.

The Attorney General's Office is currently looking into the allegations that the former president and his relatives amassed wealth by using his influence.

President B.J. Habibie has also rescinded regulations mandating that civil servants, entrepreneurs and other members of the public must make financial contributions to Soeharto's charity foundations.

The U.S. magazine Forbes last month included Soeharto and his family on its list of wealthy individuals and families in the world, putting the Soehartos' wealth at around US$4 billion. Although Soeharto owns no business, most of his six children run conglomerates with diverse interests ranging from toll roads, chemical factories and oil shipping to airlines, taxis and airline catering.

Soeharto said in his statement yesterday that the foundations were not owned by him, his family nor any of the executives who volunteered to work for the organizations.

"Some of us even had to fork out our own money," Dharmais Foundation secretary Indra Kartasasmita was quoted as saying in the statement.

Foundations such as Dharmais, Supersemar and Amalbakti Muslim Pancasila are active in charity work like providing scholarships to war veterans, the poor and for the construction of mosques, using money from interest earned through funds deposited in banks.

The statement said that Dharmais had decided to increase it monthly grant to inhabitants of social rehabilitation centers from Rp 30,000 to Rp 45,000 each a month. The monthly grant for university students will be raised from Rp 45,000 to Rp 60,000 per student and the grant for students of vocational schools from Rp 15,000 to Rp 25,000 a month per student.

Soeharto said the decision to increase the grants was part of what he described as his efforts to "bring myself closer to God Almighty by doing good deeds, being patient and resisting temptation."

"Besides, why would we want to keep the funds, which are growing all the time because of earnings in interest. We'd better off using the money to help eradicate poverty," he said. (emb)