Yusril says he is ready for lawsuit

Yusril says he is ready for lawsuit

JAKARTA (JP): Crescent Star Party chairman Yusril Ihza
Mahendra said he was prepared to face a lawsuit filed by a rival
group of 16 former party executives over alleged money politics.

"As a person who is committed to law enforcement, I will give
a good example by giving an objective and true explanation, if
needed, to the police on the matter," he said after announcing
the party's new executive lineup here on Monday.

Yusril was responding to a move by the opposing group which
submitted a preliminary report to the National Police concerning
a reported Rp 1 billion donation from former president B.J.
Habibie to the party last year.

The report of the alleged irregularity was presented by Fadli
Zon, Farid Prawiranegara and Abdul Qadir Djaelani earlier on
Monday.

Yusril said he did not include the 16 in the new executive
board because they did not accept the legitimacy of the party's
recent congress.

Sahar L. Hassan, Achmad Sumargono and Zubair Bakry were
appointed deputies to the chairman while M.S. Kaban and Baharudin
Tjatjo were named secretary-general and treasurer respectively.

Yusril, who is also the minister of law and legislation,
reiterated that there was no discrepancy between his and
Habibie's accounts on the fund.

"I received no money from Habibie but he assisted in me
securing financial assistance from certain people whom we
consider unnecessary to identify here," he said.

He said he obtained the money from several people but
considered it financial aid from the former president.

The donation, he added, did not violate a 1999 law on
political parties because it was given in January, around one
month before the law took effect.

"And the fund was used to finance the party's national meeting
and not our campaign," he said.

According to the law, a party is allowed to receive donations
of up to Rp 15 million from an individual and up to Rp 150
million from institutions.

Meanwhile, Watik Pratiknya, Habibie's personal secretary, said
the former president would not meet the election commission's
summons to explain his role in the donation. Watik insisted the
commission, which will soon be abolished, has no authority to
probe into the matter.

"We have studied all the laws regulating financial assistance
to political parties. In the case of the donation to PBB (the
party), it is the Supreme Court that has the authority to
investigate the case," Watik said upon announcing next week's
launching of the Habibie Center.

The election commission has twice summoned Habibie. (01/rms)