“I liked cars,” he begins. “I bought a [Mercedes] S Class. Back then it cost more than Rp 2 billion [$176,000]. That was 12 years ago.”
A client — a businessman with strong ties to the military — asked him why a lawyer of his standing wasn’t driving around in a Ferrari, Ruhut recalls.
“Back then a Ferrari cost Rp 6 billion,” he says. “Where could I get that much money? As I drove alone in my car I cried out loud, “Lord Jesus, I want a Ferrari! You have given me all that I asked for, now I want a Ferrari, Lord Jesus! I want it!’
“Back in my office, someone told me that Suharto was waiting for me. He wanted to hire me as his lawyer. Two days later, I was able to buy a Ferrari from the fees. How can I not believe in Lord Jesus?”