Police may still investigate Sjahril, Suta<\/p>\n
Sandy Darmosumarto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
National Police chief of detectives Comr. Gen. Erwin Mappaseng
\nsaid the police would soon question former Bank Indonesia (BI)
\nGovernor Sjahril Sabirin and former BPPBN chairman I Gede Putu
\nAry Suta for their roles in the alleged misuse of Rp 20.9
\ntrillion (US$2.4 billion) from BI's Account No. 502.<\/p>\n
Aside Sjahril and Suta, investigators would also summon
\nanother former Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA)
\nofficial Cacuk Sudarijanto, the police officer said.<\/p>\n
Mappaseng, however, did not say if the three would be
\nquestioned as suspects or witnesses. Nor did he reveal the exact
\ndate when they would be questioned.<\/p>\n
Marwan Effendi of the Jakarta Prosecutor's Office mistakenly
\nannounced on Sunday that Sjahril and Suta had been declared
\nsuspects in the high profile scandal.<\/p>\n
Police investigators, however, denied the allegation on
\nMonday, insisting that investigations were still underway and
\nthat the legal status of both Sjahril and Suta had not been
\ndecided.<\/p>\n
Sjahril and Suta both said the news about them being named
\nsuspects in the Account 502 scandal came as a surprise because
\nthe police had never conducted an investigation involving them.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Prosecutor's Office received a notification letter
\nfrom the National Police headquarters on Sept. 29, 2003 stating
\ntheir intention to investigate Sjahril and Suta regarding their
\ninvolvement in the scandal.<\/p>\n
Deputy director of the National Police graft unit, Sr. Comr.
\nMarsudhi Hanafi, said last week that the police had already sent
\nanother notification letter to the Jakarta Prosecutor's Office
\nregarding an investigation of a former IBRA chairman and one of
\nhis deputies. However, he did not specify the names of the former
\nofficials.<\/p>\n
Marsudhi was referring to a case tied to Account No. 502 in
\nwhich over Rp 410 billion was improperly channeled between two
\nbanks. The two financial institutions were Bank Prasida Niaga and
\nBank Uppindo.<\/p>\n
IBRA took Bank Uppindo, whose majority ownership laid with the
\ncentral bank, under its wing in 1999 after BI declared it
\ninsolvent.<\/p>\n
At the time, Bank Uppindo owed Bank Prasida Niaga Rp 334.3
\nbillion, which was due in March 1999. Bank Indonesia told IBRA
\nnot to disburse the money demanded by Bank Prasida Niaga to cover
\nmoney it had lent to Bank Uppindo. Nevertheless, IBRA disbursed
\nRp 410.6 billion to Bank Prasida Niaga -- an amount exceeding
\nwhat it lent to Bank Uppindo.<\/p>\n
Marsudi stated that \"a different investigating team was
\nhandling the misuse of the Rp 410 billion case.\"<\/p>\n
\"We have to see the overall structure of the account. How much
\nmoney was supposed to enter the account, and what is the correct
\nprocedure to withdraw money from it,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"Our investigation follows up the audit process taken by the
\nSupreme Audit Agency in which the agency found irregularities,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Mapasseng said on Tuesday that the number of suspects would
\nswell as the investigation continued.<\/p>\n
\"We have a system in our investigations. Declaring certain
\npeople as suspects is only a small part of the overall process.
\nThey are only technicalities. Concentrating on certain
\nindividuals may prevent the public from understanding the essence
\nof the case,\" he explained.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/police-may-still-investigate-sjahril-suta-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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