Gen. Tyasno denies involvement in fake money case<\/p>\n
BANDUNG (JP): Army Chief of Staff Gen. Tyasno Sudarto flatly
\ndenied on Thursday his alleged involvement in the case of
\nproduction and distribution of fake rupiah notes totaling up to
\nRp 19.2 billion.<\/p>\n
\"It (the accusation) is not true. It's the same as a thief
\nshouting 'thief!' to blame it on other people,\" Tyasno told
\nreporters in the West Java capital of Bandung after the handover
\nceremony of the Siliwangi Military command from Maj. Gen. Slamet
\nSupriyadi to Maj. Gen. Zainuri Hasyim, the former Tanjungpura
\nMilitary chief in Kalimantan.<\/p>\n
As previously reported, a defendant in the Rp 19.2 billion
\ncounterfeit money case named Ismail Putra told a Tuesday hearing
\nat the Central Jakarta District Court that the fake money was
\nproduced with the full knowledge of Tyasno, then chief of the
\nIndonesian Military Intelligence Agency (BIA).<\/p>\n
When asked whether the case was a conspiracy effort to smear
\nthe Army and the Indonesian Military (TNI), the four-star Army
\ngeneral simply replied:<\/p>\n
\"I never thought about it that far.\"<\/p>\n
When reporters tried to push him further with additional
\nquestions, Tyasno asked them to direct inquiries to the Army
\nspokesman, Brig. Gen. F.X. Bachtiar.<\/p>\n
Tyasno then rushed into a guest room of the Siliwangi Football
\nStadium, the venue of the ceremony, apparently in an effort to
\navoid journalists.<\/p>\n
According to spokesman Bachtiar, the accusations directed
\ntoward his superior are part of a conspiracy effort to weaken the
\nTNI.<\/p>\n
\"This is one of those motions to weaken the TNI. That's what I
\nsee as going on right now. But this is only a part of a bigger
\nprocess, which is to create a state of national disintegration.<\/p>\n
\"Since the TNI have been badly battered on almost all fronts
\nlately, we have to watch out for the possibility of further
\nattempts to divide or even destroy us,\" Bachtiar said.<\/p>\n
\"Certain parties will always try to shake the military as they
\nsee it as a source of power that must be disabled in their bid to
\nrule the country,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Bachtiar also revealed that when he showed Tyasno the paper
\n(which reported the fake rupiah case), the four star general was
\nacting normal when he said: \"What's that?.. Well, that would be
\nit.\"<\/p>\n
\"It seems that he knew (the report) was part of a conspiracy
\neffort from certain parties who want to smear him and the
\nmilitary,\" Bachtiar said but did not disclose the name of the
\npaper.<\/p>\n
The controversial testimony delivered by defendant Ismail at
\nthe Jakarta court was only covered in a few newspapers.<\/p>\n
Ismail, one of nine defendants in the crime and also named as
\nthe leader of the group, told the court that the man he knew as
\nGen. Tyasno Sudarto was fully aware that the fake money was
\nproduced for the interests of the TNI and to settle problems in
\nEast Timor.<\/p>\n
It remained unclear whether the court would also later summon
\nTyasno.<\/p>\n
Asked if Tyasno had a plan to file a lawsuit for defamation
\ntoward the defendant who had named him in the court, Bachtiar
\nreplied:<\/p>\n
\"We'll see. If the court fails to prove it, the matter will
\ndie down by itself. So why rush things?\"<\/p>\n
The army spokesman also said that the court has not yet filed
\nany summons to Tyasno.<\/p>\n
\"I think we don't have to take the matter seriously. Let the
\npeople make their own judgment,\" Bachtiar said.<\/p>\n
Asked whether it is common practice between members of the
\nArmy to utilize fake bills, since they have been struggling with
\nweapons and budget shortages while handling widespread riots in
\nthe country, Bachtiar firmly denied it.<\/p>\n
\"No! We'll never think of such things. It's true that we are
\nfacing difficulties but we are not that desperate.\"<\/p>\n
A previous fake notes case involved a senior Army member who
\nwas also a Thomas Cup manager, Col. (ret) Soemarjono. He is
\nfacing a possible sentence of life imprisonment for allegedly
\nmasterminding the production and distribution of counterfeit
\nmoney totaling Rp 4.7 billion. (25\/edt)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/gen-tyasno-denies-involvement-in-fake-money-case-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}