Yusril says Habibie helped PBB secure Rp 1 billion
Yusril says Habibie helped PBB secure Rp 1 billion
JAKARTA (JP): Crescent Star Party (PBB) chairman Yusril Ihza
Mahendra insisted on Thursday the role former president B.J.
Habibie played in the raising of a Rp 1 billion fund donated to
the party last year.
"The matter has been settled. There is no difference between
my account and Pak Habibie's explanation," Yusril told reporters
after a seminar on Islamic boarding schools here.
Yusril was responding to Habibie's statement, read by his
secretary Watik Pratiknya on Monday, that Yusril had asked for
the fund but that it was never approved. Habibie claimed that he
suggested Yusril seek help from other parties.
On Thursday Yusril rectified Habibie's denial.
Yusril said during their conversation in November 1998,
Habibie told him that he could not meet his donation request, but
offered to help.
"He told me: 'Let's see how we can handle this,' and later on
the money was collected. Maybe it did not come from him directly,
but we knew the fund was raised thanks to him," Yusril recounted.
Yusril, who is also the minister of law and legislation, said
it was not necessary for him to know who the donors were.
During the recent party congress, Yusril admitted in his
accountability speech that he received the fund from Habibie to
finance a national meeting in February, 1999.
The row over the fund has spilt the party, with a group of 16
senior party members claiming that last month's congress was
illegitimate, so was the reelection of Yusril. The group has
announced its plan to sue Yusril for alleged graft.
Hartono Mardjono, one of the group's members, said they have
reported the case to the Police for further investigation.
"The Police should find out whether the donation was given to
the party or to Yusril personally," he said.
He insisted the party's former executive board knew nothing
about the fund and its usage.
Yusril played down the possible lawsuit, saying he had never
broken any law regarding the donation.
The Election Law passed last year limits the amount of
individual donations to political parties to Rp 15 million a year
maximum. An institution's aid is Rp 150 million.
The General Election Commission (KPU) said on Thursday
Habibie's explanation was unacceptable.
"KPU cannot treat Habibie's letter as an authentic document in
our investigation into the case because his signature is
different than the signatures one finds on other documents," Agus
Miftach, KPU's acting chairman, told a press conference.
Agus said KPU would go ahead with its plan to ask Habibie to
appear on May 23 for questioning.
He also said the probe into alleged money politics involving
Golkar Party was still underway.
He said the commission would summon former trade and industry
minister Rahardi Ramelan, former forestry minister Muslimin
Nasution, and executives of one of former president Soeharto's
foundations Dakab for questioning following reports that Golkar
in the past received a total of Rp 288 billion from Dakab, the
National Logistics Agency (Bulog), state forest-related
enterprises PT Inhutani and Apkindo. (rms/dja)