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)