Jakarta – Indonesia's legal mechanism is incapable of prosecuting ousted president Suharto, alleged to have amassed wealth during his 32 years in power, an Indonesian group fighting corruption said Wednesday.
"Our legal mechanism is very inefficient and not functioning. The thief is there, the stolen goods are also there, but it cannot exterminate the culprit because its weapon can only shoot no more than two meters," said coordinator of the Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW), Teten Masduki.
Masduki said the only alternative to prosecute Suharto for his alleged abuse of power to enrich his relatives and cronies, was through the political mechanism. He said the country's highest legislative body, the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), should make a "political judgement" based on the allegations and evidence that have already been laid out by several independent anti-corruption groups.
"MPR then must issue a decree to confiscate the massive wealth of Suharto, his relatives and cronies which have caused great loss to the country, the national economy and more important, to the people," Masduki said in a press conference here after releasing ICW preliminary findings on Suharto's alleged corrupt practices.
He also called on Suharto's successor President B.J. Habibie to appoint a special prosecutor who should be granted "full authority" to bring up corruption charges against Suharto, his family and cronies. Masduki said although the government has reviewed and revoked numerous presidential decrees issued to benefit Suharto's relatives and cronies, it has so far failed and been reluctant to follow up with legal steps. "Revoking presidential decrees and cancelling contracts equal to allowing and removing sins without punishments. The government is making a big mistake in its efforts to eradicate corruption," Masduki said.
The ICW listed at least 39 decrees issued by Suharto between 1980-1998 which it says should be enough evidence to prosecute the former president on the base of abuse of power. Another anti-corruption group, the Indonesian Society for transparency said last week that it had identified at least 79 decrees, out of more than 500 that Suharto had issued in the last five years of his rule, which smacked of corruption, collusion and nepotism. The ICW also said at least 44 multinational companies were involved in Suharto-linked projects and businesses, including US-based Kellog, Chase Manhattan Bank and Bechtel, Japan's Chioda and Mitsubishi Bank, as well as France's Credit Lyonnais and Banque Indosuez.