State prosecutors question Habibie in Hamburg
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
State prosecutors have started questioning former president B.J. Habibie as a witness in the corruption case allegedly involving Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung, but doubt remains whether his deposition would drag Akbar into criminal proceedings.
Prosecutors from the Attorney General's Office Manap Djubaedi and Santoso questioned Habibie on Monday at the Indonesian Consulate General in Hamburg, Germany starting at 10 a.m. local time (3 p.m. Jakarta time) and ending at 3 p.m. The questioning was scheduled to resume on Tuesday morning local time.
Speaking to the press after the first day of questioning, Habibie's lawyers Yan Djuanda Saputra and O.C. Kaligis said in Hamburg that their client admitted issuing a disposition recommending that former minister/state secretary Akbar Tandjung use State Logistics Agency (Bulog) non-budgetary funds for a food aid program.
"Minister/state secretary (Akbar) was asked -- and not then coordinating minister for public welfare and poverty eradication Haryono Suyono, to use Bulog funds, merely for reasons of efficiency so that the program could be implemented on time," Yan quoted Habibie as telling state prosecutors, Antara reported on Tuesday.
Yan said up until the time Habibie stepped down in August 1999, he (Habibie) had not received a report on the Rp 50 billion then Bulog chairman Rahardi Ramelan disbursed to Akbar and then armed forces chief General Wiranto.
"Since there were no reports from Akbar and Wiranto, and economic indicators had improved, he (Habibie) presumed that the funds were properly spent," Yan said.
Rahardi, who has been declared a suspect for the misappropriation of Rp 54.5 billion in Bulog funds, claimed that he gave Rp 40 billion to Akbar and another Rp 10 billion to Wiranto in 1999, and the remaining Rp 4.5 billion for the cancellation of a land-swapping deal between Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra's PT Goro Batara Sakti and Bulog.
Akbar denied receiving the funds directly, but admitted channeling the Rp 40 billion to little known Roudlatul Jannah Foundation. Wiranto admitted receiving the money, but denied that the money was for used his personal needs.
In Jakarta, Akbar told the press on Tuesday that he already gave a verbal report to Habibie in 1999 and that he was ready to confront the former president face to face.
"When I left my post as state secretary in May 1999, I gave a verbal report to him on the Bulog money," Akbar said.
He said he also mentioned to Habibie about the Roudlatul Jannah Foundation that received the money to buy food packages to be distributed to the poor who were most affected by the economic crisis.