Sofjan Wanandi questioned at city police HQ

Sofjan Wanandi questioned at city police HQ

JAKARTA (JP): Businessman Sofjan Wanandi was questioned for at
least eight hours at Jakarta Police Headquarters yesterday in
connection with last month's explosion at a Tanah Tinggi
apartment in Central Jakarta.

City police spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang said his office
would review the statements of Sofjan, chairman of the widely
diversified Gemala Group, before considering whether further
interrogation would be needed.

"If the result of today's questioning is considered
insufficient for our investigation, we will summon Sofjan again,"
he told reporters who had waited outside headquarters all morning
for Sofjan to show up. The session was scheduled to start at 10
a.m.

Aritonang said that Sofjan came alone about 8:30 a.m. and
started making his testimony about 9:30 a.m.

Sofjan was questioned by a team of detectives in a room on the
second floor of the police detectives' unit. He left police
headquarters at 6:25 p.m.

Aritonang refused to disclose the substance of the
questioning, suggesting reporters ask Sofjan.

But Sofjan, who later held a brief media conference at his
office, also refused to reveal the matters which had been
discussed.

"You'd better ask the police themselves because they are the
ones who have the authority to talk about the matter," he told
reporters who flocked to his Gemala office on Jl. Taman Kebon
Sirih II in Central Jakarta.

Sofjan said he had answered all the police questions but had
no idea whether his statements had satisfied the interrogators.

"But, as a good citizen, I will certainly meet further police
summonses for questioning should they ask me to," he said,
reiterating that he never knew and was not involved with any of
the suspects in the explosion.

Plea

Sofjan made a personal plea for reporters to stop pursuing him
until the end of next month's General Session of the People's
Consultative Assembly.

"Please respect my privacy. I don't want to get involved with
the media for a while. I think I have made quite a lot of
headlines lately. I want to concentrate on my business."

In a related development, another person is to be questioned
by the Jakarta Agency for the Coordination of Support for the
Development of National Stability (Bakorstanasda Jaya), which
first interrogated Sofjan on Jan. 26.

The agency secretary Brig. Gen. Sudi Silalahi confirmed
yesterday that the person would be questioned this week at the
military intelligence office on Jl. Kramat V, in Central Jakarta.

Sudi said the person was called because his name was found in
documents seized at the explosion site. (cst/jun)