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Suharto’s Past Abuses Emerge, Baffles Indonesians
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Tommy Suharto during his trial |
By
Kazi Mahmood, IOL South East Asia Correspondent
Kuala
Lumpur, July 16 (IslamOnline) - Indonesia is reeling on another
shock revelation about the Suharto clan with news that the family was
involved in the country’s arms procurement business in the early
1990s, news agencies reported Monday, July 15, 2002.
Indonesian
daily newspapers, the Jakarta Post and Antara both
carried stories of their involvement in the lucrative trade. The Post
said the clan, family of former President Suharto, had amassed large
amounts of money and had captured vast sectors of the military with
supplies of military equipment.
The
deals involved contacts by the ‘clan’ within the military, with
procurement made at times without tenders, sources said. It also
involved huge mark-ups of the margin of profits that shows there were
collusion between some high ranking officers and the group.
Giving
a chronology of the major purchases made by the Suharto group for the
military, the Post listed it as follows:
In
1993, Suharto's eldest daughter Siti Hardiyanti "Tutut"
Rukmana, under PT Bheering Diant Pramata "helped" procure
eight British Hawk-100s for training and 16 Hawk-200 jet fighters with
a total contract value of US$690 million..
In
1994, the TNI came under fire when it bought 39 used ships from
Germany for a reported US$1.1 billion compared to the actual market
price of only $12 million.
In
1995, Tutut acted as an agent to procure 16 Air Force jets, including
12 Hawk-100s, amounting to $540 million.
The
jet's original price was $8 million each but had allegedly been marked
up to $30 million each giving her a handsome "profit" of
over $350 million for a single transaction.
Tutut's
other brokering agency PT Surya Kepanjen won a procuring contract for
50 Army scorpion tanks with a price tag of $2.5 million each.
Singapore bought exactly the same type of tank at the same time for
only $1 million each -- another $75 million extracted from the state
coffers.
Tutut's
sister Siti Hutami "Mamiek" Endang Adiningsih and brother
Bambang Trihatmodjo also acted as contractors for the Air Force.
Mamiek's
company PT Dwipangga Sakti Prima was appointed to procure a simulator
for a Hercules carrier in 1996 at a price of $30 million. The real
price was reportedly not more than $25 million.
The
tribulations of the Suharto family, the most powerful group in
Indonesia, are far from over, though.
On
Monday, July 15, prosecutors recommended that Suhato's favorite son
Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, be sentenced to 15 years in
jail.
The
prosecution said Tommy has been proven guilty of all charges, which
includes "ordering the murder of a judge, illegal possession of
weapons and fleeing justice" chief prosecutor Hasan Madani said,
news agencies reported.
The prosecutors didn’t demand a life sentence, or even the death
sentence - both of which can be applied under the charges of murder
and weapons possession - because they said "Tommy was
polite" during the trial.
They also said a harsher sentence was not sought because Tommy is
young (he turned 40 on Monday) and has a family to support.
The five judges presiding over the trial are due to hand down a
verdict within a month.
Police
and the prosecutors have said Tommy masterminded the July 26, 2001,
murder of Supreme Court judge Syafiuddin Kartasasmita, who in
September 2000 had sentenced him to 18 months in jail for corruption.
The
arrest of Tommy late last year signaled a change in Indonesia after
four years of "reformasi" or Reforms that brought the
downfall of the Suharto regime.
In
Jakarta, the opinions are divided over the revelations about the
procurement of arms for the military and the jailing of Tommy. Many
says both will be forgotten sooner or later, leading to Tommy being
set free and no investigations within the military to situate the
responsibilities.
Yet,
there are still some optimists who believes that not even Suharto's
influence and money will be sufficient to save his son from a lengthy
jail term, given that President Megawati Sukarnoputri reportedly wants
authorities to make an example of him.
Prosecutors told Central Jakarta District Court the evidence against
Tommy was overwhelming, such as witnesses’ testimonies, weapons
found at two of his residences, and bank statements showing he
transferred money to the two men who assassinated the judge.
Last year, Siti Hardiyanti 'Tutut' Rukmana was questioned over her
possible involvement in the "Buloggate" scandal involving
the embezzlement of $3.9 million in pension funds belonging to
employees of the National Logistics Agency (Bulog).
Suharto's
family is accused of embezzling the colossal amount of $1 billion
during the 32 years of heavy-handed autocratic rule by the elder
Suharto.
The family of the former president is involved in several key
businesses in Indonesia; they have shares in the national car
"Timor", and own vast plains of fertile agricultural land,
besides other investments in the stock market in Indonesia.
During the 32-year reign of Tommy's father, Suharto, graft became
endemic as the dictator's family and cronies amassed huge fortunes.
Although several of Suharto's cronies are under investigation, Tommy's
arrest marked the first concrete victory of Megawati's anti-corruption
drive.
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