Bambang quizzed in graft case<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Two family members of former president Soeharto,
\nhis son Bambang Trihatmodjo and younger half-brother
\nProbosutedjo, were questioned in graft cases separately by the
\nAttorney General's Office on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Bambang was questioned for the first time as a witness over
\nthe acquisition of assets of textile company Kanindotex, while
\nProbosutedjo was queried as a suspect over a markup loan
\nallegedly obtained from the government's reforestation fund.<\/p>\n
Bambang, accompanied by his lawyers Juan Felix Tampubolon and
\nIndrianto Seno Adji, was questioned by a team of prosecutors led
\nby Johny Ginting.<\/p>\n
As the president commissioner of PT APAC Century Corporation,
\nBambang was asked about the taking over of Kanindo group by
\nJohannes Kotjo, a former executive of Salim group who is a
\nsuspect in the case.<\/p>\n
According to Tampubolon, Johannes asked Bambang to buy the
\ncompany, which was owned by Robby Tjahjadi, another suspect in
\nthe case, in May 1995.<\/p>\n
Bambang's consortium held 90 percent of the company's shares,
\nwhile the rest was awarded to 100 cooperatives.<\/p>\n
In the consortium, Bambang owned 70 percent of the stakes;
\nBambang Yoga Soegama, the son of a former chief of the national
\nintelligence agency, 10 percent; Johannes, 10 percent; and Wisnu
\nSrihardono, 10 percent.<\/p>\n
In 1994, Kanindotex's bad debts became public after a House of
\nRepresentatives' committee investigation revealed that Robby
\nfailed to honor his debts to two state banks.<\/p>\n
Tampubolon said that Johannes, through PT Acen, then
\nrestructured Kanindo Group with Bank Bumi Daya (BBD) as the lead
\nnegotiator.<\/p>\n
The credit restructuring, Tampubolon said, was approved by BBD
\nwith the prerequisite that Johannes had to provide a fresh sum of
\nRp 539 billion (US$53.9 million).<\/p>\n
The money was divided into Rp 369 billion to pay investment
\ncredit and Rp 170 billion for improving production and material.<\/p>\n
\"But Johannes only paid some Rp 258 billion,\" Tampubolon said,
\nadding that the case allegedly caused some Rp 300 billion in
\nstate losses.<\/p>\n
Later in the afternoon, Attorney General's Office spokesman
\nMuljohardjo said that Bambang admitted in the questioning, that
\nhe owned 70 percent of shares in PT Acen, equal to 119 million
\nshares worth Rp 119 billion.<\/p>\n
\"According to Bambang, Johannes played an important role in
\nthe negotiation of the credit restructuring deal with BBD,\" he
\ntold a media conference.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Muljohardjo added, Probosutedjo admitted, in the
\nquery, over the disparity in released data on the area of his
\nestates.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors found timber company PT Menara Hutan Buana, with
\nProbosutedjo as its president, had given different data on the
\narea of their estates for survey reports by the Coordinating Body
\nfor Survey and National Charting Development Board. (hdn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bambang-quizzed-in-graft-case-1447893297",
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