Jakarta Globe – One of the daughters of deceased dictator Suharto claims to have reclaimed ownership of Indonesian television station Televisi Pendidikan Indonesia from tycoon Harry Tanoesoedibjo.
Denny Kailimang, a lawyer acting for Suharto's eldest daughter, Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana, known as Tutut, told a news conference on Sunday that the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights had issued a decree canceling another decree it had passed in 2005, which stated that PT Berkah Karya Bersama was the owner of TPI.
"The cancellation of the ministry's 2005 decree means Mbak Tutut is now the owner of TPI," Denny told Metro TV. He added that the station's new CEO was Yapto Soeryosumarno, the chairman of the Patriot Pancasila Party and a long-time friend of the Suharto clan.
The saga began in 2002 when Tutut appointed Berkah to help her deal with the station's debts.
Tutut has claimed that Berkah misused her appointment letter to proclaim himself her representative and to hold an extraordinary shareholders' meeting on March 18, 2005, during which he assumed a 75 percent stake in TPI.
Tutut claims that the meeting took place a day after she held a similar shareholders' meeting.
The channel under Tutut also hit problems when it attempted to re-register online with the government as the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights only recognized the management that had been established during the March 18 meeting.
The registration Web site was operated by PT Sarana Rekatama Dinamika, founded by brothers Hartono and Harry Tanoesoedibjo, who also own Berkah. Sarana is currently embroiled in a graft case for allegedly embezzling registration fees through the Web site.
Siti says her registration after her March 17 meeting was rejected due to a problem in the online system. Her suit also names Sarana, the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights and PT Cipta Televisi Pendidikan Indonesia, the current operator of TPI.
Berkah lawyer Andi Simangunsong insisted the acquisition was in line with existing regulations, but declined to detail his arguments until the next hearing.
The Attorney General's Office on Friday said it had named former Justice Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra and Hartono suspects in a Rp 410 billion ($45 million) embezzlement case, a week after prosecutors were lambasted by lawmakers for failing to do so.
The AGO began an inquiry into the case after finding that 90 percent of revenue generated from the Web site went to Sarana Rekatama Dinamika, which had been appointed by the ministry to run the service.