Attorney General to summons Ginandjar to get new evidence over Balongan case
Wednesday, February 14 2001 - 04:30 AM WIB
Attorney General Marzuki Darusman said on Tuesday (Feb. 13) his office would summons former energy and mining minister Ginandjar Kartasasmita from the United States to get new evidence over mark-up practices in the construction of the Balongan refinery plant in West Java.
"We will summons Pak Ginandjar through our ambassador there to give new testimony and get new evidence," Marzuki said at a hearing with the House of Representatives' Commission VIII on energy and mineral resources.
Ginandjar, deputy speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly, is in the United States for a scholarship program in the Harvard School, together with representatives from other countries in crisis.
A source close to Ginandjar said that the former minister had not yet received summons from the Attorney General's Office. But if he was summoned as a witness, it would be better for Ginandjar to give written answers.
"He does not need to come back to Indonesia because he left Indonesia with the blessing from the attorney general," the source said.
The source noted that Ginandjar had given extensive explanation about the Balongan project before the Commission VIII.
The Attorney General's Office could not yet find any indication of mark-up in Balongan, but because of demands from legislators for the office to pursue legal actions against the Balongan case, the Attorney General's Office would have to summons Ginandjar.
"Public opinion says that there is a mark-up in Balongan project. So, how will the public judge the performance of the Attorney General's Office? Therefore, the attorney general must summons Ginandjar to give testimony," legislator Nurhasan from the Nation's Awakening Party (PKB).
The same demand was also aired by legislator Saul de Ornay and Zainal Arifin from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, who questioned the seriousness of the attorney general to prosecute former officials in the New Order who were allegedly involved in massive corruption practices.
In its report to the commission, Marzuki noted that out of 159 graft cases in state oil and gas company Pertamina presented to his office, 22 cases had strong indications of graft, 13 were still under investigation, and 62 others were still waiting for investigation. Out of those 159 cases, 75 cases were dropped because of lack of graft evidence. (*)