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TIME: Has the Ministry of Foreign Affairs approached foreign governments?
GHALIB: About Mr. Suharto? No. Only about the family.
TIME: People say, "Ghalib is a military man, a three-star general"
GHALIB: Suharto is five-star. [Laughs]
TIME: Are you covering up for him?
GHALIB: No, no, no. This depends on the law, on what is right. We have investigated him twice. If we have proof, yes. O.K., we are very, very serious, but this must proceed through the law.
TIME: What about the case involving Tommy?
GHALIB: Tommy was already sent to the court, you know. He is the son of his father. If you ask a father to choose, himself or his son, better the father. But we sent him to the court.
TIME: They're very close.
GHALIB: Yes, very, very close. So, if we prove that this is our law, he must be there. Now with Mr. Suharto we are looking for more proof, whether it's there or not. If not full enough, it's a problem. We have to make it secure that we have already found this, to increase the status from a preliminary to an investigation.
TIME: We understand that the former First Family has indicated that it might like to pay the money on the Mobnas project, the outstanding money. If they do that, won't that finish off the prosecution case?
GHALIB: In this case, there are at least two opinions. One is that even already paid but still can be, but the other said you can't because paid already. But it depends on the jury. But so far we use that: even if paid already, he still can be charged because not before, but after this, that's our law now. I told him already ... even if you've paid, still process.
TIME: So in the case of Tommy, that won't necessarily mean that the charges are dropped.
GHALIB: It's still, still going on. It depends on the court.
TIME: Even if there's no loss to the state.
GHALIB: Yes, because we are in the process now.
TIME: The seven yayasan. Last year, I think it was December, it was reported that these had been given by Suharto to the government or the state. Did he hand the assets over, or just the operations?
SOEHANDJONO: The operation is run by the government. The assets belong the foundations. The money doesn't belong to Suharto. The money always belongs to the foundations.
TIME: Suharto is the chairman of these foundations. So if the money is still in the foundations, then it's still controlled by Suharto, right?
GHALIB: No, no, no, no. It's controlled by the Coordinating Minister for the Eradication of Poverty. There's a decree on that... It was placed with the Coordinating Minister Pak Haryono Suyono.
TIME: Why haven't the assets been handed over with the control of the yayasan?
SOEHANDJONO: Because their purpose is social activity. So they continue the social activities, but are run by the government.