Tommy tries to stall investigation, reports Gus Dur's ally to police

Tommy tries to stall investigation, reports Gus Dur's ally to police

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

In what could be seen as an attempt to derail the criminal
investigation against him, Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra filed a
complaint with Jakarta Police Headquarters on Thursday against
Doddy Sumadi, a close ally of former president Abdurrahman Wahid,
for allegedly blackmailing and extorting money from the former
fugitive.

"Doddy Sumadi extorted some Rp 15 billion from my client
(Tommy Soeharto) when he arranged a meeting between my client and
Abdurrahman at the Borobudur Hotel last year," Tommy's lawyer
Elza Syarief told reporters.

She refused, however, to reveal if the money was for
Abdurrahman Wahid, or Gus Dur as the former president is
familiarly known, as previously alleged, or for Doddy himself.

Jakarta Police chief Sofyan Jacoeb said earlier that the
police would also summon Gus Dur to shed light on the allegation.

Doddy's name was first mentioned by Mahfud M.D., the former
minister of defense during Gus Dur's short-lived administration,
when he revealed that the meeting between Gus Dur and Tommy in
2000 was arranged by someone called Raden Doddy Sumadi.

Elza said earlier that the money had been given to Puan Amal
Hayati, a foundation belonging to Abdurrahman's wife, Sinta
Nuriyah.

But according to Mahfud, the foundation was set up only in
July 2001, while the meeting between Gus Dur and Tommy took place
in October 2000.

Responding to the accusations, Gus Dur's lawyer Luhut M.P.
Pangaribuan said yesterday that his client was considering taking
legal action against Elza.

"The Jakarta Police chief and Elza have disseminated
information classified as secret since their allegations were
taken from Tommy's interrogation files," he said during a press
conference held at the foundation's office in Ciganjur, South
Jakarta.

According to Luhut, such files are classified as state secrets
and are not supposed to be made public except for legal purposes
such, as the during the trial.

"Both Sofjan and Elza have violated other people's rights for
which they could face a defamation charge," he said.

Luhut, however, said that prior to filing a complaint against
Sofjan and Elza, he would ask for clarification from National
Police chief Da'i Bachtiar, Sofjan's superior.

"This morning (Thursday), I sent a letter to National Police
Headquarters to ask for some explanation from police chief Pak
Da'i Bachtiar. The copy of the letter was also sent to the
Coordinating Minister for Political, Social and Security Affairs
(Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono)," Luhut said.

Meanwhile, Tommy denied allegations that he masterminded the
assassination of Supreme Court judge Syafiuddin Kartasamita who
sentenced him to jail for graft in 2002, but detectives' chief
Col. Adang Rochjana said on Thursday that the police would still
charge him with the murder.

"Let him deny it, that's his right," Adang said.

He said the police had other evidence found during the
investigation linking Tommy to the killing of Judge Syafiuddin in
July.

Adang said Tommy would soon be formally charged with the
murder, but refused to say exactly when.

Tommy would also be investigated over a series of bomb blasts
in Jakarta and elsewhere as well as the illegal possession of
weapons. Police said that if he was found guilty, he could be
sentenced to death.

Tommy was grilled for the eighth consecutive day on Thursday
under tight security, with police investigators focusing on the
assassination of Judge Syafiuddin, who sentenced Tommy to 18
months in jail.

During Thursday's investigation, for technical reasons the
police did not confront Tommy with what they say is the evidence
of his involvement in the killing of Syafiuddin.

"The investigators failed to present the evidence due to the
complicated procedures involved in getting the evidence from the
Attorney General's Office," Elza Syarief told the press on
Thursday.

Police detained Tommy last week after he had eluded them for a
year following his graft conviction. While that conviction was
eventually reversed, Tommy is now suspected of masterminding a
series of bomb blasts and possessing illegal arms, in addition to
being linked to the judge's murder, according to police.

They also say they are serious about solving these cases,
although many in Indonesia wonder how far the authorities will go
to resolve an episode that has already further worsened the poor
image of the country's justice system, given the quashing of
several graft convictions and Tommy's ability to remain at large
for so long.