Aditjondro named suspect in alleged misconduct

George Junus Aditjondro, writer of the controversial Membongkar Gurita Cikeas; Di Balik Skandal Bank Century (Unmasking the Cikeas Octopus: Behind the Bank Century Scandal) has been named a suspect for his alleged assault of Democratic Party politician Ramadhan Pohan.

"We have named him a suspect as we have enough evidence to support the allegation against him," South Jakarta Police chief Gatot Edy Pramono said Saturday.

George was summoned by the South Jakarta Police on Monday.

The dispute between George and Ramadhan took place at the book launch in December.

Ramadhan attended the launch to defend himself against accusations in the book that Jurnal Nasional newspaper, of which he is editor-in-chief, received part of the Bank Century bailout of Rp 6.76 trillion (US$716 million).

At the event, Ramadhan accused George of hallucinating regarding the money distributed to Jurnal Nasional. The accusation upset George, who challenged Ramadhan to prove his accusation.

As the exchange grew heated, George hit Ramadhan on the face with the book. Ramadhan filed a complaint over the incident with the Jakarta Police; the file was then forwarded to the South Jakarta Police.

He reported George for "misconduct", which carries a maximum sentence of 32 months in jail, or a Rp 400,000 fine.

The book had sparked controversy a few weeks before its launch, as its content, taken from various media sources, suggested a link between President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the Bank Century bailout.

The book also accuses several state institutions of having received some of the money.

George claimed he had yet to receive the letter naming him a suspect and did not want to comment further.