"As we know, the President respects the legal process."Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono respects the legal process wherein former health minister Siti Fadila Supari, who is also a member of the president`s advisory council, has been named as a suspect in an alleged graft case, his spokesman said.
As of Tuesday, the President had not received an official report on the legal status of Supari, presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said at the presidential palace here on Tuesday.
"The President has yet to receive a report of her legal status. As we know, the President respects the legal process. What is important is that if someone has not yet been proven guilty of committing misdeeds, we must uphold the presumption-of-innocence principles," he stated.
"The status of Supari as a member of the president`s advisory council also followed the same principles," Julian added.
"We are waiting for the legal process. As long as there has not been any fixed legal force, we must wait for the legal process," he said.
Julian explained that until Tuesday afternoon he could not contact the chief of the National Police`s criminal investigation division (Bareskrim), Comr Gen Sutarman, to confirm the legal status of the former health minister.
Earlier, Sutarman said that police had named Supari as a suspect in an alleged graft case surrounding the procurement of medical equipment.
"She has been named a suspect. But we still have to gather information from others," he said on Tuesday.
Besides Supari, police also have named four suspects in the alleged graft casem which has resulted in a loss of Rp6.1 billion to the state.
The suspects are identified by their initials as MH as a commitment-making official, HS as chief of the procurement committee, Mn as the operations director of PTI as a provider of goods or tender winner, and MS as president director of PT MM as a sub-contractor.
(Uu.S012/INE/KR-BSR/H-YH)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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