Soeharto's 'poor memory' hampers questioning

Soeharto's 'poor memory' hampers questioning

JAKARTA (JP): They say the first thing to go with age is
memory. That, according to Soeharto's lawyers, is what is
happening to the former president as Monday's questioning yielded
only incoherent answers and a series of "I can't remembers".

Most of the 32 questions posed by prosecutors on Monday during
the seventh questioning of Soeharto were largely left unanswered
due to Soeharto's apparent failing memory.

This later prompted Soeharto's lawyer Juan Felix Tampubolon to
urge the Attorney General's Office to end the ongoing
questionings which he said were "legally useless".

He claimed that doctors said that Soeharto was losing his
memory after suffering a mild stroke last year.

"These questionings are useless because my client cannot
account for his answers. And, speaking of the quality of the
questionings ... they have no quality at all," he told
journalists at his client's residence on Jl. Cendana, Central
Jakarta.

"That is why we suggest that the Attorney General's Office end
its questioning. We hope this session will be the last. The
Attorney General's Office said it will consider it after
evaluating these sessions," Juan added.

Soeharto, who turned 79 on Thursday, underwent a two-hour
round of questioning on Monday at his residence which focused on
the use of funds belonging to the Supersemar foundation.

According to Juan, Soeharto failed to recall numbers and facts
related to the foundation.

"The questions are too complicated for him to understand. Pak
Harto only replied 'I don't remember' and when he tried to
answer; (the answers) were irrelevant to the questions," Juan
said.

Juan said the government would have Soeharto undergo a brain
scan in early July as a complement to a comprehensive medical
test.

Soeharto's medical team earlier claimed that the former
president might be suffering from brain damage following a stroke
last year and was not fit to face questionings.

Attorney General's Office spokesman Yushar Yahya earlier said
that the questioning was conducted merely to meet the
requirements of bringing the case to the court.

"We are required to question the suspect. But from the
testimonies of witnesses, evidence and the linkage between them,
we are sure we will be able to bring the case to trial before
Aug. 10," Yushar told The Jakarta Post.

Attorney General Marzuki Darusman has vowed that his office
will complete the case against Soeharto before the end of his
arrest period on Aug. 10.

President Abdurrahman Wahid has repeatedly said that he will
pardon Soeharto if the latter is found guilty in court.

Later on Monday, Ifdhal Kasim, a legal expert from the
Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (ELSAM) chided
President Abdurrahman's persistence in pardoning Soeharto, saying
it would affect the prosecutor's performance.

"Such statements could affect the operation of the Attorney
General's Office because then there's no use for state
prosecutors to work hard to unveil the case," he told journalists
on the sidelines of drafting a law on the establishment of a
commission of truth and reconciliation.

Ifdhal added that even if the president insisted on pardoning
Soeharto, it first has to be consulted upon and approved by the
House of Representatives and the Supreme Court.

In a separate development, noted lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis
supported President Abdurrahman's intention to seek help from the
United States government to track down corruption cases in
Indonesia.

"They can track down massive U.S. dollar cash flows from bank
accounts around the world and there are many American companies
here that could provide clues to corruption practices in the
country," Todung told reporters.

However, he said, the government had been slow in their
efforts in the Soeharto case after it was submitted to the
Attorney General's Office in 1998.

"Two years is sufficient time for certain people to conceal
Soeharto's assets," he said, adding that corruptors could afford
to hire top law firms, accountancy firms and bankers in their
efforts.

Todung further said that Attorney General Marzuki Darusman
contacted him on Monday asking him to contact Time magazine to
provide more data on Soeharto's wealth.

The magazine once reported that Soeharto and his family
allegedly amassed massive wealth and had properties
overseas.(09/bby/dja)