Soeharto's a no-show

JAKARTA (JP): The Attorney General's Office has pledged to force former president Soeharto's appearance for a questioning over alleged corruption and abuse of power on Monday after he failed to turn up on Thursday.

Director of Corruption Affairs Chairul Imam told a group of student protesters in front of his office that the third and final summons had been sent to the former ruler shortly after the planned questioning of Soeharto failed to materialize.

Soeharto, 78, was scheduled to be questioned at 9 a.m., but did not appear until noon.

"We expect him to appear for the questioning not later than Monday at 1 p.m.," he said.

"If he fails to answer this last summons, the penal code allows the prosecutors to conduct the questioning at the suspect's residence. And, if his lawyers or family reject us, we will take coercive measures."

Chairul insisted that Soeharto was fit enough for the questioning.

"The Attorney General's Office will adhere to the report from the RSCM (Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital) medical team which says that with a number of limitations, Soeharto is capable of being questioned.

Soeharto's failure to appear for questioning on Thursday was no surprise after his lawyers submitted a letter to the Attorney General's Office on Wednesday saying their client would not be available for questioning.

Citing the report from the RSCM medical team, the letter said Soeharto had difficulty communicating his thoughts and would require "assistance to choose the correct words to convey (his) thoughts into long and complex sentences".

Attorney General Marzuki Darusman said last week the results of the medical examination showed Soeharto was healthy enough to undergo questioning.

Soeharto failed to answer a summons in February after the Attorney General's Office named the former president a suspect in its investigation of alleged corruption and abuse of power during his time in office.

But Soeharto's lawyers pleaded ill health and refused to allow their client to appear for questioning.

Soeharto was hospitalized twice last year for a mild stroke and intestinal bleeding. (01/byg)