The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Businessman Maher Algadri has threatened to sue lawmaker Dedy Djamaluddin Malik for linking him to suspected illegal arms dealing involving a deceased two-star Army general, unless Dedy retracts his statement and apologizes.
Dedy, of the National Mandate Party, was quoted by two national newspapers Thursday as saying the late Brig. Gen. Koesmayadi had run an arms business since 1995 with financial support from Maher, who is of Arab descent.
Maher was a co-founder of the Kodel Group along with current Industry Minister Fahmi Idris and businessmen Soegeng Sarjadi and M. Said.
Kodel spokesman Ahmad Sumargono denied Dedy's accusation. ""Dedy has slandered Maher by telling a false story to the press,"" he said here Thursday.
Sumargono, who is a politician from the Crescent Star Party, said that on behalf of Maher, he had asked Dedy to prove his accusations, or face a defamation lawsuit.
Sadik Algadri, another Kodel representative, demanded Dedy apologize for tarnishing the image of Maher and the company.
Sumargono said senior lawyers Mohamad Assegaf and Todung Mulya Lubis were ready to defend Maher in a possible court battle.
However, the Kodel group did admit to having a previous business relationship with Koesmayadi.
The group's Yusuf Rahimi said Kodel had asked Koesmayadi to help secure a project to build the Regent Hotel in Kuningan, South Jakarta, in 1987.
""To facilitate the project, we needed somebody capable of guarding our hotel construction,"" Yusuf said.
He said Kodel's relationship with Koesmayadi ended after the project was completed in 1995. ""We never signed any further contacts or were involved in any other relationship (with Koesmayadi) after the project was finished.""
Yusuf categorically denied Dedy's assertion that Maher was involved in an arms business with Koesmayadi, who died of a heart attack on June 25.
Days after his death, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Djoko Santoso announced the military had discovered a huge weapons cache, including hundreds of firearms and thousands of bullets, at one of Koesmayadi's homes.
The military has said a proportion of the arms lacked the required registration documents and were therefore illegal.(05)
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