Tommy calls in sick, but police are not buying it
Damar Harsanto and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The sudden illness of a big-name suspect is nothing new in this country's battered legal system. This time it is Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, until recently a fugitive for one year, who is also the son of former president Soeharto.
"(I'm) sick, sick, sick a little bit sick," said Tommy, who, for two weeks has been a prisoner at the Jakarta Police Headquarters.
Tommy was wearing a blue prison outfit with the number 093 on it when he abruptly announced his state of health to waiting reporters, prior to being taken into the examination room.
Tommy's lawyer, Elza Syarief, said that Tommy seemed weak and looked pale when he underwent Tuesday's examination.
"We asked the investigators on Tuesday to provide doctors to examine Tommy," said Elza.
But city police chief of detectives Sr. Comr. Bambang Hendarso Danuri said Tommy was in good health.
"That's why we proceeded with our examination," Bambang said, based on the police medical team's findings.
He said Tommy had low blood pressure on Tuesday, but he had recovered by Wednesday so he was ready for further interrogation.
Tommy is facing multiple charges, including the murder of Supreme Court Justice M. Syafiuddin Kartasasmita, (who had sentenced him to 18 months in jail for corruption), illegal possession of weapons and a series of bombings in the capital.
Legal expert Ahmad Ali warned that, as the interrogation dragged on, Tommy's lawyers would likely come up with a claim that their client's physical condition was failing due to the marathon questioning.
This would open the possibility of his leaving detention and moving to a plush hospital room, Ahmad said on Saturday.
"Tommy must have learned from the cases of Soeharto and business tycoon Syamsul Nursalim," said Ahmad, who served as an expert staff member to the late Attorney General Baharuddin Lopa.
"For the lawyers this is also an effective way of buying time," he added.
Tommy's lawyers have already proven their competence, including getting his indictment in the Goro-Bulog scam overturned by the Supreme Court two months ago.
Tommy received an 18-month jail term in October 2000 for his involvement in a multibillion rupiah scam. After his appeal for a pardon from then president Abdurrahman Wahid was turned down, he disappeared. After he was arrested on Nov. 28, he found himself exonerated of the charge.
City police chief Insp. Gen. Sofjan Jacoeb said that if Tommy was sick, the examination should be halted and adjourned.
"If he is sick we will let him go to the hospital for medical treatment," said Sofjan.
Asked whether Tommy's illness was an excuse to spring him from detention, Sofjan said, "We haven't yet reached such a conclusion."
National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said that such permission would only be given under specific circumstances, including illness or other humanitarian considerations.
"As long as the reasons do not fit such circumstances, it (the permission) will not be given," said Da'i.
Sofjan, however, said that Tommy would not be allowed to leave the detention center to celebrate Idul Fitri with his family at Jl. Cendana, Central Jakarta.
"He must remain here (at the detention center) for the time being," Sofjan said.
Assets
Asked by reporters, Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda said on Wednesday that the government was continuing to track down the assets of former president Soeharto's family, including those belonging to Tommy Soeharto.
"The difficulty in finding those assets stems from our own legal procedures, as most countries, including Switzerland and New Zealand, which I recently visited, required a court decision (from Indonesia) to help us," Hassan said.
The effort, first initiated by former president Abdurrahman Wahid, began in 2000.
"And we all know that the legal process in Indonesia is slow. So the obstacle to finding those assets is our own system," he said.
Soeharto and his family were believed to have acquired their wealth through systematic corruption during his 32-year rule, which ended in May 1998.
Time magazine, in its June 1998 edition, estimated Tommy's wealth at some US$800 million.
Some of Soeharto's wealth was said to have been stashed in Switzerland, Austria and New Zealand.
Abdurrahman asked for cooperation from those countries in finding the fortune. Most of the countries stated their willingness to help the government.
Former attorney general Marzuki Darusman also made several trips to Europe and New Zealand to try and find the fortune.