Soeharto's lawyer says no letter yet from AGO

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Former president Soeharto's lawyer Juan Felix Tampubolon claimed he had not received a letter from the Attorney General's Office (AGO) about the plan to reexamine his client's health.

Nonetheless, he expressed optimism that if it arrived, the team of doctors would likely come to a conclusion that his client was unable to stand trial due to his health.

"Wouldn't it be funny if the new medical team makes a different conclusion from the previous teams," he mused, apparently trying to add a bit of humor to an otherwise sad situation.

The AGO said on Monday that it had set up a new team of doctors to examine Soeharto's wealth in order to determine whether or not the former dictator could deal with a corruption investigation.

The new team was apparently a response to public outcry about Soeharto's corruption case after he appeared healthy and happy while reminiscing with old pal Mahathir Mohamad on Saturday.

Soeharto, who stepped down in disgrace on May 20, 1998 after more than three decades in office, has been accused of embezzling more than US$600 million worth of state funds laundered through dozens of his tax-free foundations.

A team of medical doctors from state-owned Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital (RSCM) -- the same hospital that will carry out the planned medical examination -- declared in August 2002 that Soeharto was suffering from permanent brain damage due to at least one minor stroke.

Meanwhile, noted lawyer Luhut M.P. Pangaribuan doubted on Tuesday that the Attorney General was serious about its plan to reopen Soeharto's corruption case.

According to Luhut, the AGO was just doing it as sort of PR ploy to appease the tens of millions of people demanding that justice be done in Soeharto's case, essentially to buy time until the people forget about the case.

He said Soeharto would never be put on trial, unless the country's leaders had the courage to dissolve this AGO and establish a new one.

"Debate over Soeharto's condition is just taking place between the prosecutors and medical doctors and they will be the ones to decide whether he can stand trial," Luhut told The Jakarta Post.

Luhut said Soeharto should be sent to court so the judges could decide whether or not he could stand trial.