Suwondo strikes back, plans to sue Yanatera official

JAKARTA (JP): Alip Agung Suwondo, alias An Peng Sui, a main suspect in the Rp 35 billion State Logistics Agency (Bulog) scandal plans to sue any party who had named him as President Abdurrahman Wahid's personal assistant.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Suwondo said that a certain party had accused him of using such a title in an effort to push executives of the Bulog's employee foundation, Yanatera, to disburse the multi-billion fund.

"I want to sue them because he/she has used my name saying that I'm the (President's) personal assistant, Suwondo said at the Jakarta Police Headquarters after being grilled by detectives over the case.

Suwondo gave no names, saying that he has yet to find out the party but insisted that the person was someone from Yanatera.

"We'll see," Suwondo said, while being escorted by police officers back to the jail at the police headquarters.

According to the suspect, also widely known as a masseur to President Wahid, the fund he received from Yanatera was simply a loan from Bulog's deputy chief Sapuan, a suspect in the case, and that he had no idea where the latter got the money from.

Suwondo's lawyers earlier also said that their client had failed to notice that he had been identified as Abdurrahman's "personal assistant" on the documents of the loan deal prepared by Sapuan, who has been on trial for the case.

One of Suwondo's lawyers, Denny Azani B. Latief, said that his client was fed up with certain media reports, which have cornered him and, therefore, wanted to strike back.

"Suwondo has asked for our help about the feasibility of his plan to sue this person from Yanatera," Denny said.

Separately on Friday, Jakarta Police Criminal Investigation chief Sr. Supt. Harry Montolalu said that the questioning on Suwondo had been completed and the dossiers relating to his role in the case would be submitted soon to the prosecutors office.

Harry refused to give further details of the dossiers but said that it is the same thing as what the suspect had already told reporters.

Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Mulyono Sulaiman said that his officers were still treating the scandal as a criminal case despite Suwondo's lawyers' repeated argument that the fund was simply a loan deal between Suwondo and Sapuan.

Sapuan repeatedly told the court that he disbursed and handed over the Yanatera's fund to Suwondo, who claimed to have been acting on behalf of the President, who allegedly asked Bulog to participate in a humanitarian program in the strife-torn province of Aceh.

On Oct. 17, former minister of industry and trade and ex-Bulog chief Jusuf Kalla testified before a special committee set up by the House of Representatives on the case that it was Foreign Minister Alwi Shihab who first informed him that there were funds disbursed by Yanatera via Suwondo.

On Thursday, Suwondo was quoted by police interrogators and his lawyers as saying that he borrowed the fund from Sapuan in two phases. The first one worth Rp 25 billion had been spent to expand a plantation business in Puncak area, West Java. The second package of Rp 10 billion was given by Sapuan as a gift since he had 'shown Sapuan the way' to become Bulog's deputy chief.

Suwondo, who claimed to have known Abdurrahman, better known as Gus Dur, since 1986 as his friend to talk and chit-chat with, said the President has nothing to do with the case.

Suwondo's lawyer Indra Sahnun Lubis said on Thursday that Sapuan gave the loan to Suwondo in the hope that Suwondo would help him to get the Bulog's top post after Suwondo managed to help him earlier to get the position as Bulog's deputy chief.

Indra said that when Sapuan asked Suwondo to help him to become Bulog's deputy chief, Suwondo then just told Sapuan to chant several Koranic phrases and to visit and donate to certain Muslim boarding schools.

Indra said that after Sapuan received the post of deputy chief, he then became more greedy and asked Suwondo to assist him to get the position of Bulog chief.

Sapuan then asked Suwondo to arrange an audience with Abdurrahman which Suwondo did, but he promised Sapuan nothing, Indra said.

Indra said that Sapuan later told Suwondo that during the meeting Gus Dur asked whether some of Bulog's funds could be used for humanitarian aid in Aceh. (jaw/dja)