AGO speeds up probe into Mandiri case<\/p>\n
Eva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
A top official of Bank Mandiri and a wife of a gubernatorial
\ncandidate were questioned by prosecutors on Monday in connection
\nwith an alleged lending scam at Bank Mandiri.<\/p>\n
Bank Mandiri's director of corporate banking M. Sholeh
\nTasripan arrived at 10 a.m. and went through a six-hour
\nquestioning session at the Attorney General's Office (AGO).<\/p>\n
Although Sholeh was questioned for a second time, he is still
\nbeing considered a witness.<\/p>\n
Sholeh was questioned for a possible role in the disbursement
\nof loans to 24 ineligible companies that caused the loans to turn
\nsour. Several bank directors had been previously questioned.<\/p>\n
Former deputy general for special crimes at the Attorney
\nGeneral's Office Sudhono Iswahyudi, who was replaced by Hendarman
\nSupandji on Monday, said that so far investigators had collected
\nenough evidence to draw a conclusion that there were indeed
\nprocedural irregularities in the loan disbursement to the
\ncompanies.<\/p>\n
However, he said that the investigators were still studying
\nthe case to determine whether it involved Mandiri directors or
\nonly directors at the 24 companies.<\/p>\n
\"Now we're trying to figure out who was responsible for giving
\nthe loans to those companies, whether it was the risk management
\ndepartment or top officials at the bank,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He added that the investigators also studied the companies'
\nloan applications to the bank, to determine whether these
\ncompanies had fulfilled the requirements set by the bank to
\nobtain the loan.<\/p>\n
Four out of 24 companies are under intensive investigation by
\nthe Attorney General's Office. These companies are local
\ntelevision station PT Lativi Media Karya, PT Cipta Graha
\nNusantara\/Tahta Medan (CGN\/TM), PT Siak Zamrud Pusaka and PT
\nArutmin.<\/p>\n
So far, no Mandiri directors have been declared suspects
\nalthough the Attorney General's Office have arrested four
\nsuspects from two companies mentioned above.<\/p>\n
Three top officials of PT CGN\/TM -- Saiful (commissioner),
\nDiman Ponijan (director) and Edison (president director) -- have
\nbeen detained, while Nader Taher, president director of PT SZP
\nand also a candidate for Riau islands governor, has also been
\narrested.<\/p>\n
Nader's wife, Sari Dewi was also questioned by the Riau
\nProsecutor's Office in connection with her role as a commissioner
\nat PT SZP.<\/p>\n
She was questioned for three and a half hours but had not been
\ndeclared a suspect yet.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ago-speeds-up-probe-into-mandiri-case-1447893297",
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