Winters ready to meet the police for dialog

JAKARTA (JP): American professor Jeffrey Winters is ready to meet police and officials of the Attorney General's Office to discuss recent remarks in which he alleged a senior minister had colluded with a private company over the purchase of shares in PT Freeport Indonesia.

Winters has also appointed a senior lawyer as his legal advisor, his close friend Bondan Winarno said on Saturday.

"I will gladly explain what I said and why I said it, as well as discuss the contents of the Econit report on the Freeport contract," Bondan quoted Winters as telling him.

Winters, a professor in political economics at Chicago's Northwestern University, alleged in Jakarta last Monday that Coordinating Minister for Economy, Finance and Industry Ginandjar Kartasasmita had abused his position of authority during his tenure as minister of mines and energy from 1988 to 1993.

Citing a report prepared by PT Econit, a local firm of consultants, Winters alleged that Ginandjar had received a bribe in connection with a large shares transaction between Freeport, a giant copper and gold mining company, and PT Bakrie & Brothers.

Ginandjar has strongly denied the allegation. He said the transaction was nothing more than a business deal between the two private companies.

President B.J. Habibie said Winters' statement humiliated the government.

Ginandjar did not say whether he would take any action against Econit, the source of the information. Econit has so far remained silent on the matter.

Minister of Justice Muladi said on Wednesday that Winters would be blacklisted and interrogated by police. Winters left the country on Tuesday.

On Friday, Muladi changed his stance and said the government would allow Winters to enter the country but would question him over his allegations if he did.

"He can come (to Indonesia), and we will use the opportunity to interrogate him. If he arrives, he will not be able to leave before settling his legal matters," Muladi said.

Winters is scheduled to address the Indonesian Forum, a two- day international conference which opens here Monday (today).

He has said he will come to Jakarta if the government lifts the warrant for his arrest.

Bondan, the chairman of the conference organizing committee, said Winters would only agree to talk with Indonesian officials as long as they guaranteed he would be free to leave the country after the meeting.

Winters told Bondan the meeting should take place "not at the police or at the Attorney General's Office, but rather at Mulya's office". He was referring to senior lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis, who was present when he made the allegations against Ginandjar.

Bondan earlier claimed that Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad was also scheduled to address the conference.

However Kuala Lumpur has denied this claim, saying the prime minister did not have any plans to visit Jakarta next month. (prb)