Soeharto signed Goro land deal, says Ricardo
Soeharto signed Goro land deal, says Ricardo
JAKARTA (JP): Ricardo Gelael, executive of PT Goro Batara
Sakti, testified at the South Jakarta District Court on Thursday
that former president Soeharto himself had approved the land
exchange transaction between his company and the State Logistics
Agency (Bulog).
Ricardo, who is serving a 10-month jail term, said he was
informed by an official at the state palace that the president
had signed an approval on the land exchange agreement.
The court is trying former chief of Bulog Beddu Amang for his
alleged involvement in the land swap scandal, which inflicted Rp
95.4 billion (US$10 million) in losses to the state.
Ricardo and Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, Soeharto's youngest
son who was also an executive of PT Goro, were exonerated by the
same court of all corruption charges in 1999. But the Supreme
Court later overturned the court verdict and sentenced Tommy and
Ricardo each to 18 months in prison in September last year.
Tommy disappeared a few days after President Abdurrahman Wahid
rejected his appeal for clemency.
Ricardo said on Thursday that Tommy owned 80 percent of PT
Goro's shares, while he owned the rest. Tommy played a small role
in the land swap exchange activities, but Ricardo said he
frequently consulted Tommy, who was the company's commissioner.
He said that PT Goro had demolished 11 warehouses belonging to
Bulog in Kelapa Gading to make way for the construction of the
Goro warehouse. As a result, PT Goro had suffered Rp 16 billion
in losses, he said, adding he viewed this as one of the risks of
doing business.
The court also heard the testimony of businessman Hokiarto,
who owned the land in Marunda, North Jakarta, which was exchanged
with Bulog's land in Kelapa Gading.
Hokiarto, who will be tried separately, said that at the
beginning he was reluctant to sell the land.
"But Ricardo told me that Goro was owned by Tommy Soeharto.
Because I was scared, I then agreed to sell my 30-hectare land at
the price of Rp 80,000 per meter square," he said.
He said as the down payment of the land sale, Goro obtained Rp
15.6 billion through bank Bukopin. Goro then asked him to find
another 41 hectares of land that Bulog required.
He said he agreed after Beddu offered him Rp 32.5 billion to
cover the payment.
The hearing was adjourned until March 3. (01)