Money laundering reports untrue: Rahardi<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Industry and Trade Rahardi Ramelan
\nsaid on Tuesday that reports of a money laundering scandal
\ninvolving his wife were engineered.<\/p>\n
Rahardi, who is also chairman of the State Logistics Agency
\n(Bulog), said it was clear that certain people were trying to
\ndiscredit his name by spreading the untrue allegation.<\/p>\n
\"Some parties are not happy with some of my industry and trade
\npolicies. So they want to ruin my reputation,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said he presumed the rumor was sparked by people who were
\nunhappy with his policy to impose a zero percent import duty on
\nsugar.<\/p>\n
Harian Ekonomi Neraca daily and Tempo newsweekly magazine
\nreported last week that Rahardi's wife Ibu Tumbu Astiani was
\nrumored to have been apprehended by New York airport authorities
\non June 17 for bringing in US$600,000 in bank notes in to the
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
The sum was far above the maximum limit of $10,000 allowed by
\nthe U.S government to be brought in by foreign tourists visiting
\nthe country.<\/p>\n
But the daily later corrected its story, saying it turned out
\nto be completely inaccurate, while the magazine's cover story on
\nthe issue immediately included firm statements from Indonesian
\ndiplomats overseas and from Rahardi himself that categorically
\ndenied the rumors.<\/p>\n
The reports said that Ibu Tumbu Ramelan was rumored to have
\nbeen apprehended when she failed to declare the money, leading to
\nconcerns the amount was to be laundered.<\/p>\n
Rahardi said his wife was in Jakarta that day, opening a home
\nindustry exhibition at the Sahid Jaya Hotel.<\/p>\n
\"Some of you who covered the opening ceremony of the
\nexhibition saw her there. So it was impossible she was caught in
\nNew York that day.\"<\/p>\n
Rahardi said he had no plans to sue the Neraca daily and Tempo
\nmagazine for publishing the articles concerning the money
\nlaundering allegations.<\/p>\n
But he said he hoped the editors of the two publications would
\nbe \"mature enough\" to apologize to him, as they had damaged his
\nfamily reputation.<\/p>\n
\"What can I say, the damage (caused by the reports) is already
\nthere. I am just hoping that they (the editors) still have ethics
\nto send their apologies for destroying my name and my family's
\nwith their false, baseless reports.\"<\/p>\n
Rahardi said reports about his wife might be engineered by
\npeople who did not agree with his policy to liberalize sugar
\nimports.<\/p>\n
Despite mounting criticism that the policy has hurt sugarcane
\nfarmers, he said he would stand by his decision not to impose
\nimport duty on imported sugar, because it would benefit consumers
\nand not inflict losses on farmers.<\/p>\n
Sugar farmers and the local sugar industry have been pushed to
\nthe brink of bankruptcy by a flood of cheap imported sugar which
\nhas hit the local market.<\/p>\n
Lower international prices stemming from a sharp decline in
\ndemand and a stronger rupiah have made importing sugar more
\nattractive than procuring it domestically.<\/p>\n
According to one trader, the price of local sugar is currently
\nbetween Rp 2,200 and Rp 2,500 per kilogram, Rp 1,800 higher than
\nthe price of the same quantity of imported sugar.<\/p>\n
The government has obliged all sugar mills in Java to procure
\nlocally produced sugar at Rp 2,500 (30 U.S. cents) a kilogram to
\nprotect farmers from the falling price of sugar on the local
\nmarket.<\/p>\n
The government said it would pay the difference between the
\nprice of cheaper imported sugar and sugar grown in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The plan has not run smoothly, because the money -- amounting
\nto Rp 496 billion -- has not yet been disbursed to sugar mills.
\n(gis)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/money-laundering-reports-untrue-rahardi-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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