Will prosecutors trace misused Bulog funds?
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The naming of House of Representatives' Speaker Akbar Tandjung as a suspect in the Bulog case should enable state prosecutors to broaden their investigation into the missing Rp 40 billion (US$3.9 billion) in state funds, and could implicate other big names.
The Attorney General's Office, moreover, has good leads to help it trace the funds as it has in its possession key evidence in the form of 15 checks worth Rp 40 billion.
However, the Office is unlikely to determine precisely who the ultimate beneficiaries were as the checks were all cashed by one person between March and April 1999.
Worse still, according to Attorney General's Office spokesman Muljohardjo, the person used a bogus ID card to cash the funds through the now defunct Bank Exim and the private Bank Duta.
"The investigators have yet to find the person who cashed the checks in the two banks as the identification card used by him was found to be bogus after being checked," Muljohardjo told reporters on Tuesday.
His statement contradicted press reports claiming that the checks were paid into accounts held by executives of the Golkar Party, which Akbar chairs.
Speculation is, therefore, rife that the money was used to finance the Golkar Party's campaign in the 1999 election.
Adding to the speculation is the statement made by Golkar executive Syamsul Muarif, currently minister of information, alleging that other political parties had also availed of the Bulog money.
He specifically said that all 48 political parties contesting 1999 election, except for the People's Democratic Party, received a share of the money.
The big question, however, is whether the Attorney General's Office will eventually track down the funds to the political parties.
Instead, it appears that the Office will concentrate on investigating the relationship between Akbar and the Raudlatul Jannah Foundation, which he claimed was the recipient of the Rp 40 billion.
The Office is also to investigate the purchases of food assistance for the poor -- although it has already declared that it had found no proof that millions of food parcels had been distributed in Java's provinces as claimed by Akbar.
In this regard, the Office's team of investigators led by Manaf Djubaedi -- who is also responsible for prosecuting Rahardi Ramelan, the main suspect in the case -- will question Akbar and the witnesses, although a schedule for questioning has yet to be drawn up.
The Attorney General's Office has yet to issue a travel ban on or arrest warrant for Akbar to facilitate the investigation.