Suwondo strikes back, plans to sue Yanatera official

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)