Former president of Chalakanesia.
Murdered by Wolfganga and Rector Om.
'May I ask,' said Wolfganga, 'does Harni Hobi figure in this?'
'Harni Hobi!' said Heineman in astonishment. 'Why, how could he? He's dead!'
Indeed, Harni Hobi Uzbek, the president who had replaced Wolfganga in Belta 2358, and who had been replaced in turn when Heineman was elected in Belta 2365, was very much dead.
After Heineman was elected, ex-president Uzbek had moved to Islam Demaxus, in an apparent attempt to prolong his influence. But, in Belta 2366, the Year of the Aardvark, he had been assassinated by a person or persons unknown. The manner of his death had been terrible. All his fingers had been cut off, and then he had been thrown into a swimming pool into which five tiger sharks had previously been introduced. [NoP Ch8]
It seemed Sopwith Dromedax was intent on using federal tax payments to reimburse itself for funds allegedly embezzled by ex-president Harni Hobi Uzbek. As Uzbek was conveniently dead, there was no way of proving these allegations. Furthermore, since Uzbek's term of office had ended three years earlier, it was strange that such allegations should only surface now.
Heineman's presumption was that the senators of Sopwith Dromedax had conspired to embezzle big chunks of funds, and had rigged the paperwork to make it seem as if the conveniently dead ex-president Uzbek was to blame. However, even if Uzbek had really taken the money, Heineman was sure it was illegal for Sopwith Dromedax to seize federal monies to reimburse such a loss. Although he was no constitutional expert, Heineman was sure the constitution forbade such manoeuvering. [NoP Ch13]