Bambang points finger at Baramuli<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Finance minister Bambang Subianto said on Monday
\nthat Supreme Advisory Council (DPA) head Arnold A. Baramuli had
\nbeen meddling in the country's bank restructuring program.<\/p>\n
The finance minister's statement was taken as further
\nindication that the chief adviser to the President was among the
\ninfluential people who masterminded the Bank Bali scandal.<\/p>\n
Bambang said Baramuli called him by phone one Saturday night
\ndemanding the removal of Glenn S. Yusuf as chairman of the
\nIndonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA), which is under the
\nfinance ministry.<\/p>\n
\"We received a phone call from someone demanding that next
\nweek the chairman of IBRA must be replaced. He said that
\nPresident B.J. Habibie had agreed,\" Bambang told the House of
\nRepresentatives Commission VIII for banking and finance at a
\nhearing.<\/p>\n
When legislator Herman Widiananda asked Bambang who was the
\ncaller, he said: \"It was Baramuli.\"<\/p>\n
A crowd of journalists and observers cheered and applauded
\nBambang's answer. The hearing was broadcast live by a private TV
\nstation.<\/p>\n
The answer provided further key information on the possibility
\nof who was the mastermind behind the Bank Bali scandal.<\/p>\n
Bambang said the call from Baramuli was an example of pressure
\nthe country's banking authorities had been facing.<\/p>\n
He explained that prior to Baramuli's call, the finance
\nministry and IBRA had been under pressure to allow the agency's
\nvarious bank assets be controlled by a state-owned company.<\/p>\n
\"There were demonstrations against us. Of course, the
\ndemonstrators were directed by someone,\" Bambang said.<\/p>\n
He said that because the pressure to take over the assets of
\nIBRA did not succeed, replacing Glenn became an alternative.<\/p>\n
\"Luckily Glenn is still with us,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Bambang, however, declined to confirm whether Baramuli was the
\nmastermind behind the Bank Bali scandal.<\/p>\n
Bambang disclosed Baramuli's call to describe the pressure he
\nfaced over the bank restructuring program.<\/p>\n
He claimed he was never put under any pressure to help realize
\nthe Bank Bali transaction which lead to the scandal.<\/p>\n
The scandal revolves around the questionable transfer of Rp
\n546 billion from Bank Bali to private firm PT Era Giat Prima
\n(EGP) as a fee for recouping interbank loans. There has been
\nallegations that the President B.J. Habibie camp was using EGP as
\na vehicle to help raise money for political purposes in the lead-
\nup to the November presidential election.<\/p>\n
Legislators grilled Bambang on whether there were powerful
\npeople who forced him to agree to the Bank Bali-EGP transaction.<\/p>\n
Herman said that former Bank Bali president Rudy Ramli
\nindicated in the morning to the House's special investigation
\nteam that Baramuli and State Minister of the Empowerment of State
\nEnterprises Tanri Abeng were among the influential people
\ninvolved in the scandal.<\/p>\n
Bambang is one of the ministers apparently listed in the \"Bank
\nBali journal\", an chronology of successive meetings between Rudy
\nand several ministers, high-ranking state officials and
\nbusinessmen close to Habibie. Baramuli and Tanri were also named
\nin the journal.<\/p>\n
Rudy acknowledged the existence of the journal in a hearing
\nwith Commission VIII last week.<\/p>\n
Bambang also acknowledge that parts of the journal were
\nfactual, particularly bits involving his name.<\/p>\n
Bambang said it was true that he was asked by businessman M.
\nManimaren to introduce him to Rudy.<\/p>\n
\"I was not suspicious at the time,\" Bambang said.<\/p>\n
Bambang said he did introduce Manimaren to Rudy, but claimed
\nnot to know whether they made any kind of deal.<\/p>\n
Bambang also said that, during his meeting with Rudy, they
\nonly discussed Bank Bali's difficulties in recouping the
\ninterbank loans, which were covered by a government blanket
\nguarantee.<\/p>\n
\"There wasn't any mention of EGP nor the cession agreement,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Summon<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, legislator Herman said he would suggest to the
\nHouse leaders that Baramuli be summoned for questioning.<\/p>\n
\"We have to discuss this first with the House leaders because
\nBaramuli is head of the DPA,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Baramuli is a senior politician with high skill in passing
\nthrough the country's political minefield.<\/p>\n
Last week, Habibie named Baramuli as the one who gave him the
\ncontroversial written statement from Rudy denying the existence
\nof the journal. Rudy later denied authoring the statement.<\/p>\n
Baramuli then claimed he received the statement through the
\nmail. He denied allegations that he had forced Rudy to sign the
\nstatement. He also denied allegations that he was involved in the
\nscandal.<\/p>\n
The Habibie administration is under strong pressure to
\nimmediately resolve the Bank Bali scandal. The International
\nMonetary Fund (IMF) has reportedly decided to delay its aid
\ndisbursement to the country due to the slow progress in resolving
\nthe Bank Bali case.<\/p>\n
The IMF has also expressed disappointment over the lack of
\ntransparency in dealing with the PricewaterhouseCoopers audit on
\nthe Bank Bali transaction.<\/p>\n
Bambang acknowledged that the PricewaterhouseCoopers audit was
\nnot enough to unravel the Bank Bali scandal. He pointed out that
\nthe international auditor was not allowed to completely trace the
\nflow of funds in the Bank Bali transaction, nor was it able to
\nquestion another 38 people.<\/p>\n
He said his office had so far only received the \"short form\"
\nof the audit result. He said there were two types of reports: the
\nshort form and the long form. (rei)<\/p>",
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