Soerjadi denies hiring men to take over PDI office

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) leader Soerjadi denied yesterday hiring people to take over the party's headquarters last year.

His lawyer, Roy Rening, told the Central Jakarta District Court that Soerjadi never asked the leader of the AT-Taubah Foundation delinquent youth rehabilitation center, Seno Bela Emyus, to mobilize his men to help take over the party's office.

Soerjadi, PDI vice chairwoman Fatimah Achmad, PDI secretary general Buttu R. Hutapea, PDI Jakarta-branch chairman Lukman F. Mokoginta and PDI Jakarta branch secretary general Sahala P. Sinaga are facing a Rp 1 billion (US$385,000) lawsuit filed by 50 people who claim they were hired last year to take over the party's headquarters from supporters of the ousted PDI leader Megawati Soekarnoputri.

The plaintiffs said Soerjadi and his cadres promised to pay them Rp 200 million in cash after the takeover but had not done so.

They said they were deceived because Soerjadi's cadres told them their mission was to reinforce Megawati supporters who were defending the office and not to take it over.

Soerjadi toppled Megawati as PDI leader at a government-backed congress in Medan in June last year.

Megawati and her supporters said the congress was unconstitutional.

Hundreds of Soerjadi supporters backed by security personnel raided the headquarters on July 27, triggering a riot.

The National Commission on Human Rights says at least five people were killed, 124 were injured in the riot, while 23 people are still missing.

Rening said Seno met Soerjadi and offered to provide security for Soerjadi's daughter's wedding party but Soerjadi rejected the offer.

He said Seno then offered to help Soerjadi stage a demonstration at the House of Representatives to counter demonstrations by Megawati's supporters.

The lawyer said Seno repeated the offer when he met Lukman and Sinaga about having party T-shirts, stickers and banners made.

"Seno's proposal was rejected by Soerjadi who knew that Seno was not a PDI member," Rening said.

Rening said the defendants had never made any agreements with the plaintiffs.

The case was adjourned until Aug. 11. (05)