Press rapped over Bapindo, again<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Members of the Indonesian press received yet
\nmore government wrath yesterday for their reporting on the
\ninvestigation into the loan scandal at Bank Pembangunan Indonesia
\n(Bapindo).<\/p>\n
Attorney General Singgih warned that some newspapers and
\nmagazines have violated the law by disclosing classified
\ndocuments that were used for his office's investigation.<\/p>\n
Singgih was particularly offended at the way they reprinted in
\nfull the texts of written statements given to the government
\ninvestigators.<\/p>\n
\"They are all classified documents,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"I don't know how the journalists obtained these documents.
\nThey were obviously leaked, but their actions already amount to
\ntrial by the press,\" he told reporters before a cabinet meeting
\nat the Bina Graha presidential office.<\/p>\n
He said sanctions are possible for the people who leaked the
\ndocuments as well as for those who helped disseminate them.<\/p>\n
Singgih declined to point his finger at anyone but stressed
\nthat the papers were not likely to have come from his own staff
\nsince they face severe punishment for such actions.<\/p>\n
Besides government investigators the only other parties privy
\nto the investigations are the suspects and their lawyers.<\/p>\n
The press has been rapped on many occasions over the Bapindo
\nissue, by no less than President Soeharto himself, since the case
\ncame to light in January.<\/p>\n
The Bapindo scandal has remained front-page news for the past
\nthree months not only because of the massive amount of money lost
\n(Rp 1.3 trillion) but also because it has political implications,
\nwith a number of top government officials involved.<\/p>\n
The trial of Eddy Tansil, the businessman at the center of the
\nscandal, is to open in the Central Jakarta District Court on
\nTuesday.<\/p>\n
The second defendant to appear before the court is Maman
\nSuparman, formerly deputy manager of Bapindo Jakarta, who will be
\narraigned at the South Jakarta District Court on May 16.<\/p>\n
Both men are expected to be charged under the 1971 anti-
\ncorruption law, which carries a maximum punishment of life in
\nprison.<\/p>\n
The Attorney General's office has also detained four former
\nBapindo directors and is still interrogating them.<\/p>\n
Given the importance of the cases, the chiefs of the two
\ncourts have announced that they will personally try the cases.<\/p>\n
Soedjatman, the chief of the South Jakarta District Court,
\ntold reporters yesterday that 30 people would be summoned by the
\ncourt to testify in the trials against Maman.<\/p>\n
The list does not include top government officials Sudomo and
\nSumarlin, he told reporters.<\/p>\n
He did not rule out however the possibility of adding more
\nwitnesses, including Sudomo, to testify depending on how the
\ntrial unfolds.<\/p>\n
Soedjatman said he expected Maman's trial to be completed in
\nless than three months.<\/p>\n
Singgih meanwhile said that his office was now investigating
\nfour middle management executives of Bapindo following
\nallegations that they received bribery from Tansil to help him
\ndisburse loans from the bank and bypass standard procedures.<\/p>\n
He said that at present the evidence was not strong enough to
\nwarrant their arrest but the investigation was continuing.<\/p>\n
He also defended his office's decision not to grant the
\nrequest by one of the suspects be put under house arrest saying
\nthat for practical reasons, they should all remain under the
\ncustody of the Attorney General's office.<\/p>\n
The lawyers of Sjahrizal, a former Bapindo director who is now
\nunder detention, has said that top banker Robby Djohan was
\nwilling to provide a guarantee for Sjahrizal's release.<\/p>\n
Both Tansil and Maman, who are technically now under the
\ncourts' custody, have remained at the detention house of the
\nAttorney General's office also to help with the investigation.<\/p>\n
Relatives intending to visit them however have to seek the
\ncourt's permission. (02)<\/p>",
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