Tommy shifts blame to Goro executive
JAKARTA (JP): Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, former president commissioner of wholesale company PT Goro Batara Sakti, claimed on Wednesday that he held no responsibility in the controversial land exchange deal between the firm and the State Logistics Agency (Bulog).
In his testimony to the South Jakarta District Court, Tommy -- one of two defendants on trial for their alleged roles in an illegal deal that caused Rp 95.4 billion (US$13.4 million) in losses to the state -- said he was responsible only for Goro's planning and supervision in the land exchange transaction.
"It's the president of the firm who knew the details of the land exchange deal, and thus he was responsible for carrying out the deal," Tommy, the youngest son of former president Soeharto, said, referring to the other defendant, Ricardo Gelael. The two were once close friends and raced cars together.
On Monday, Ricardo told the same court he also played no decisive role in the 1995 land exchange deal with Bulog.
He claimed that he merely acted on behalf Tommy.
"I used to tell (Tommy) that if there were any third-party related matters, he was the one who had the authority to issue an approval," he had said.
The trial, begun in April, has been closely followed by the public, with particular interest concentrated around the fate of Tommy, whose father was forced by a massive people's reform movement to give up his long-held post in May last year.
According to a tentative schedule, prosecutors in the concurrent trials of Tommy and Ricardo will read their indictments on Aug. 30.
The two businessmen were indicted under Article A of Corruption Law No. 3/1971, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison and/or 20 years imprisonment and a Rp 30 million fine.
Attired in a brown batik shirt and brown pants, Tommy conceded on Wednesday that Ricardo used to inform him of every development in the deal by "by word of mouth" only.
Asked by presiding Judge R. Soenarto about the demolition of Bulog's warehouses in Kelapa Gading in March 1996, Tommy said Goro proposed the demolition and Bulog later approved it.
"Goro only executed the approval," he said.
However, the company began demolishing 11 of Bulog's warehouses in March 1996, when in fact Bulog's approval was issued in October 1996.
Asked by Judge Maulida about the company's loan from Bank Bukopin worth Rp 20 billion, Tommy said, "I gave approval on the proposal, but I did not know about the Rp 23 billion bank guarantee given by Bulog."
In a bid to secure a 60-hectares property in Marunda, as an exchange for Bulog's 50-hectare plot in Kelapa Gading, the company raised credit worth Rp 20 billion from Bank Bukopin.
The fund was to be used to appropriate the Marunda property, provided by Hokkiarto, also a businessman.
Ricardo sent an internal memo to Tommy dated July 5, 1996, asking Tommy's approval for the Rp 20 billion loan and informing him of Bulog's proposed Rp 23 billion guarantee for the bank loan, including Rp 3 billion interest.
Prosecutor Fachmi criticized Tommy's testimony that he did not know about the bank guarantee.
"He admitted in the previous court session that he read the memo, and he also knew of Bulog's bank guarantee, but now he just said he did not know anything about it.
"I will consider this as incriminating evidence in my indictment," Fachmi told reporters after the court session.
Scores of teenagers, claiming to be from Bekasi, also attended the trial. They refused to talk to journalists but rumors spread that they had been paid Rp 50,000 to attend the trial. (asa)