Trade minister faces sanctions

Trade minister faces sanctions

JAKARTA: The House of Representatives (DPR) said it would hand
down sanctions against Minister of Trade and Industry Rini
Soewandi if she failed to fulfill the second summons for
questioning over her role in the purchase of Sukhoi jet fighters.

"We expect her to turn up this time," said chairman of House
Commission I for defense Ibrahim Ambong on the sidelines of the
People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Annual Session on Saturday.

Ibrahim chairs the House working committee of inquiry into
alleged irregularities in the warplane deal.

He said the sanction would be in the form of a quarantine, as
stipulated in the law on the composition of legislative bodies,
endorsed by the House last month. It would automatically come
into force on Aug. 10 if President Megawati Soekarnoputri failed
to sign it within the next few days.

Ibrahim said the House working committee would send a second
summons to Rini after the MPR session finished on Aug. 10.

The first hearing was scheduled for July 29 but was canceled
by the committee at the request of Ibrahim, who was overseas at
the time. --Antara