Susilo to advise on suspects in Telkom case

Susilo to advise on suspects in Telkom case

The government-sanctioned anticorruption team "still awaits
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's instruction and input"
before naming suspects into alleged corruption at state
telecommunications company PT Telkom.

Team coordinator Hendarman Supandji said that the team could
not name any suspects as it had promised earlier because "there
were too many cases that need further investigation".

Hendarman had said earlier that he would make public
corruption cases at the company as well as naming suspects this
week.

"Naming suspects will require an instruction from President
Susilo. The President has indicated that the suspects should
involve leaders of the company," he told reporters at the State
Palace late on Tuesday.

Hendarman said although several Telkom directors had been
dismissed by the government, they did not have legal immunity for
the policies and practices they were responsible for during their
tenure, and which might lead to criminal charges.

The anticorruption team raised the status of its
investigations into Telkom from inquiry to prosecution last week,
with cases including alleged irregularities in joint-venture
contracts as well as kickbacks for the construction of
telecommunications network.

However the company's president director Tanri Abeng had said
earlier that he was not aware of the probe.

Hendarman refused to disclose the names of Telkom's former and
incumbent executives who had been summoned by the team for
questioning.

Telkom shareholders last week named banker Arwin Rasyid to
take over the firm's top post from Kristiono in a massive
reorganization following investigations by the anticorruption
team. -- JP