Dutch government help sought over Indover scam<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Attorney General Marzuki Darusman said his
\noffice would need to formally request that the Netherlands
\ngovernment assist it in investigating a corruption case involving
\na Bank Indonesia (BI) subsidiary in Amsterdam, NV Indover.<\/p>\n
Marzuki said on Sunday that such a request was mandatory to
\nobtain access to account numbers belonging to a number of
\nbusinessmen who had received loans from Indover Bank between 1993
\nand 1998.<\/p>\n
\"During our visit there, we opened the way for cooperation
\nwith the Netherlands government in order to enable us to get to a
\nnumber of accounts in Indover Bank as BI does not have the files.<\/p>\n
\"I don't know how come our central bank doesn't have access to
\nBank Indover...we have to make an official request to the
\ncounterpart to open the accounts,\" he told The Jakarta Post in a
\ntelephone interview on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n
Marzuki has just returned from a trip to the Netherlands, in
\nwhich his investigation team also investigated the legal
\npossibilities for questioning 10 foreigners, who were once
\nIndover Bank executives, as witnesses.<\/p>\n
The state has reportedly suffered US$1 billion in losses due
\nto the misuse of loans extended through Indover Bank and its Hong
\nKong affiliate Indover Asia Ltd.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors named former president director of Indover Bank,
\nSidharta S.P. Suryadi and former managing director of Indover
\nAsia Permadi Gandapraja as suspects. The two have already been
\nbanned from leaving Indonesia.<\/p>\n
They have been accused of violating the bank's prudential
\nprincipals by disbursing loans, which came from BI's foreign
\nexchange reserves, without properly examining the borrowers'
\nability to repay.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors also found intervention on the part of executives
\nof BI, which at the time was chaired by governor Soedradjad
\nDjiwandono.<\/p>\n
Starting their investigation in August, the prosecutors
\nunearthed an improper loan disbursement of $1.5 million to PT
\nUnited Coconut Indonesia, a company belonging to the wife of
\nformer head of the Supreme Advisory Council A.A. Baramuli.<\/p>\n
A source close to the investigation revealed that Baramuli
\nalso availed of loans which he then extended to several
\nfictitious companies.<\/p>\n
Marzuki refused to confirm the report, saying that his office
\n\"has as yet nothing to say about the findings in Amsterdam\".
\n(bby)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/dutch-government-help-sought-over-indover-scam-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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