Tommy calls in sick, but police are not buying it

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.