Justices blamed for delay in BLBI verdict<\/p>\n
Abdul Khalik, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Attorney General's Office (AGO) expressed fears on Thursday
\nthat a convict in the misuse of Bank Indonesia liquidity support
\n(BLBI) might have fled the country and the state might have lost
\nRp 1.3 trillion (US$1.38 billion), due to Supreme Court negligence.<\/p>\n
Spokesman for the office Kemas Yahya Rahman said prosecutors
\ncould not jail David Nusa Wijaya, alias Ng Tjuen Wie, owner of
\nthe now-defunct Bank Sertivia, and confiscate his assets because
\nthe Supreme Court failed to send the copy of the verdict, which
\nhad been delivered almost a year ago.<\/p>\n
\"The Supreme Court handed down the verdict on David on July 23
\nlast year. However, we haven't been able to do anything until now
\nbecause we haven't got a copy of the verdict,\" said Kemas.<\/p>\n
Kemas added the West Jakarta Prosecutor's Office, which was
\nsupposed to execute the verdict, had asked the Supreme Court for
\na copy in its letter dated May 26 of this year, but had received
\nno response. It remains unclear why the prosecutors asked for the
\ncopy that late.<\/p>\n
According to the law, the prosecutors can only execute a
\nverdict after they have received a copy of the verdict from the
\nSupreme Court.<\/p>\n
David was found guilty of embezzling Rp 1.27 trillion in BLBI
\nfunds by the West Jakarta District Court. He was sentenced to
\nonly one year in jail. Subsequently, he filed an appeal to the
\nJakarta High Court but was given four years' imprisonment
\ninstead.<\/p>\n
The convict then appealed to the Supreme Court, which
\nsentenced him to eight years and fined him Rp 1,297 trillion, to
\nrecover the state losses.<\/p>\n
Kemas said it was difficult now to trace the whereabouts of
\nDavid.<\/p>\n
\"A travel ban slapped on him is still effective. However, it
\nmay have failed to prevent him from fleeing the country via a
\nsmall or remote island, just as Alex Manuputty did,\" Kemas said.<\/p>\n
He was referring to the Maluku Sovereignty Front (FKM)
\nchairman, who was convicted of treason but managed to escape the
\ncountry to the United States because of the late arrival of the
\ncopy of the Supreme Court verdict.<\/p>\n
The state has suffered more than Rp 137 trillion in losses due
\nto misuse of the BLBI. Ironically, law enforcers have failed to
\nproperly address the issue, with many of the suspects being
\nacquitted or being given lenient sentences.<\/p>\n
The fund misappropriation was first disclosed by the Supreme
\nAudit Agency (BPK) in May 1999.<\/p>\n
The government provided liquidity support amounting to Rp
\n144.5 trillion from August 1997 to early 1999 to assist 48
\ncommercial banks to cope with massive runs during the monetary
\ncrisis. However, the audit agency revealed that 95 percent of the
\ntroubled banks misappropriated the funds.<\/p>",
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