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)