Soeharto's defense team okays foreign doctors

Soeharto's defense team okays foreign doctors

JAKARTA (JP): Former president Soeharto's defense team said on
Tuesday it had no objection to foreign doctors being used to give
another opinion of their client's health.

Mohamad Assegaf said judges might ask for a checkup by foreign
doctors if they found that the assessments made by Soeharto's
private medical team and the state-appointed team from Cipto
Mangunkusumo General Hospital doctors were insufficient.

"By hiring foreign doctors, the judges can make a comparison,"
Assegaf said on the sidelines of the questioning of a military
officer allegedly implicated in human rights abuses in East Timor
last year.

However, he said, such a measure could backfire on the
government because it would strengthen current public distrust of
the local doctors' independence and reputation.

"It's ironic when you have to turn to foreign doctors because
you don't believe in the independency of the doctors examining
Soeharto's health. I remind you that all doctors based on their
code of ethics are independent," he said.

Controversy over the state of Soeharto's health arose
following the much-awaited Aug. 31, 2000, corruption hearing,
which the 79-year-old former ruler failed to attend.

His lawyers claimed that Soeharto was mentally and physically
unable to undergo any legal process after suffering three strokes
last year.

A senior member of Soeharto's private medical team, Teguh A.S.
Ranakusuma, however, insisted that his team of doctors had never
recommended that the former president not appear at his trial.

Judges at the South Jakarta District Court decided to adjourn
the hearing until Sept. 14 to hear assessments from both
Soeharto's doctors and the Cipto's of whether the former ruler
was able to face trial.

Noted lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis suggested on Monday that the
judges appoint a team of foreign doctors to conduct a medical
examination of Soeharto in order to give a second opinion of the
recent assessments.

Assegaf said an assessment by foreign doctors would be no
different from the ones already made by the two teams of doctors.

"The examinations were conducted using equipment that resulted
in graphs, images and diagrams. All the doctors did was read the
results and assess them.

"The devices cannot lie. And, at the upcoming hearing, all
doctors can judge whether their colleagues who examined Soeharto
wrongly interpreted the results of the tests or not," he said.

Soeharto is alleged to have misused some Rp 1.4 trillion and
some US$416 million of public funds which were under the control
of the seven charitable foundations he ran, by channeling them to
the businesses of his family and friends. (bby)