Probo named suspect in bank scam<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Former president Soeharto's step brother
\nProbosutedjo was named on Thursday as a suspect in the liquidated
\nBank Jakarta's credit scam, but he strongly protested his
\ninnocence and expressed confidence about escaping from the police
\nallegation.<\/p>\n
\"I didn't inflict any financial losses on my bank customers or
\neven the government. On the contrary I even helped (by granting
\nloans) to many small-scale businesspeople to develop their
\nbusinesses,\" he told reporters at the National Police
\nheadquarters.<\/p>\n
Probosutedjo made the remarks after being questioned by the
\nNational Police for allegedly breaching the bank's legal lending
\nlimit.<\/p>\n
He said that he had not appointed any lawyers to represent him
\nas he believed that he could defend himself before the police.<\/p>\n
\"I know the substance of the allegations and I'm sure that I
\ncan make people understand that Bank Jakarta is a small and
\nunworthy bank (as compared with other notorious big banks),\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Probosutedjo, however, admitted that the bank did violate the
\nlegal lending limit. Most of the bank's credits were granted to
\nhis own widely diversified Mercu Buana group.<\/p>\n
\"We only channeled Rp 44 billion (US$5.5 million) to companies
\nunder the Mercu Buana flagship, but the amount of the channeled
\nmoney was still far bellow that kept at the bank,\" he said,
\nadding that Rp 64 billion was kept in the bank under the group
\naccount.<\/p>\n
However, the legal lending limit was set not to exceed the
\nbank's paid-up capital, which in the Bank Jakarta case reached Rp
\n23 billion, a police source said.<\/p>\n
Bank Jakarta, 84 percent of which was owned by Probosutedjo,
\nwas one of the 16 banks the government closed last November
\nbecause of legal lending limit violations.<\/p>\n
The police's investigation into the liquidated banks has
\nfocused mainly on suspicions of violations of the banking
\nregulations, including the owners' failure to report deviations
\nto the authorities.<\/p>\n
If found guilty, a suspect faces a maximum punishment of six
\nyears imprisonment and a Rp 6 billion fine.<\/p>\n
\"I am not afraid. I didn't inflict any losses on any parties
\nat all,\" Probosutedjo reiterated.<\/p>\n
Arriving in a Mercedes Benz sedan, Probosutedjo seemed to be
\ncalm and composed when answering a bombardment of questions from
\nreporters. (emf)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/probo-named-suspect-in-bank-scam-1447893297",
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