First Lady protests publication of leaked cables

First Lady Kristiani “Ani” Herawati Yudhoyono on Friday denied the legitimacy of US diplomatic cables published by two Australian newspapers on Friday, which allege that her husband abused his power as President and had engaged in corrupt practices.

Ani said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had made a commitment not abuse his power during his installment as President in 2004, and had kept his promise. She added that she was saddened by the reports, which “contain no truth whatsoever”.

“On top of everything, [the reports] were published without asking us for confirmation,” Ani said Friday, as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.

The article, titled “Yudhoyono 'abused power'” published in The Age, quotes diplomatic cables from the US Embassy in Jakarta that were exposed recently by WikiLeaks.

Another version of the story was printed in The Sydney Morning Herald.

Among the cables are allegations that Ani and her relatives had made efforts “to profit financially from [the Yudhoyono family’s] political position.

In 2006, the US Embassy in Jakarta told Washington that “first lady Kristiani Herawati is increasingly seeking to profit personally by acting as a broker or facilitator for business ventures”, The Age reports.

“Numerous contacts also tell us that Kristiani’s family members have begun establishing companies in order to commercialize their family’s influence.’’

The embassy, it adds, described the First Lady’s as “a cabinet of one” and “the President’s undisputed top adviser”.