Probosutedjo sets conditions for out-of-court settlement<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Businessman Probosutedjo laid out yesterday
\nseveral conditions for an out-of-court settlement for his lawsuit
\nagainst the central bank and the Ministry of Finance over the
\nclosure of his bank, Bank Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Probosutedjo said the conditions for an out-of-court
\nsettlement ranged from the acknowledgement by the central bank
\nand the ministry that Bank Jakarta was a sound bank to a permit
\nfrom both institutions allowing him to fully reimburse all Bank
\nJakarta account holders.<\/p>\n
\"Of course, we want to reach an out-of-court settlement,\" he
\nsaid on the sidelines of a signing ceremony of the third-
\ngeneration coal contract-of-work at the headquarters of state-
\nowned Aneka Tambang mining company.<\/p>\n
We don't want to cause a headache to (the governor of) the
\ncentral bank (Soedradjad Djiwandono) and the minister of finance
\n(Mar'ie Muhammad),\" he said.<\/p>\n
Probosutedjo filed a lawsuit with the Jakarta State
\nAdministrative Court against Mar'ie and Soedradjad on Nov. 7,
\ndemanding the reinstatement of his bank.<\/p>\n
Bank Jakarta was one of 16 banks closed by the government Nov.
\n1 as part of the International Monetary Fund's reform package to
\nrestore confidence in the country's economy.<\/p>\n
President Soeharto's son, Bambang Trihatmodjo, whose Bank
\nAndromeda was also among those closed, had also filed a lawsuit
\nagainst Mar'ie and Soedradjad, but later dropped the suit for the
\nsake of \"national interest\".<\/p>\n
Probosutedjo defied the closure ruling from the outset,
\nrefusing to sign the liquidation order and reopened his bank to
\nreimburse some account holders without the government's approval.<\/p>\n
He insisted on continuing with his legal action against both
\nofficials, but the administrative court's judge, Lintong Oloan
\nSiahaan, called on both parties to seek an out-of-court
\nsettlement.<\/p>\n
Probosutedjo said he would withdraw his suit if the central
\nbank publicly announced that unlike many local banks, Bank
\nJakarta had never asked the central bank for loans and had never
\nbeen provided with any funds by the bank.<\/p>\n
\"We don't demand that our bank be reopened. We only want
\nacknowledgement that our bank owed nothing to the central bank,\"
\nsaid the half brother of President Soeharto.<\/p>\n
He said the central bank should also announce that until its
\nrecent closure, Bank Jakarta was liquid.<\/p>\n
Three state banks, using funds from the central bank,
\nreimbursed the depositors of the 16 closed banks last week, but
\nonly up to a maximum of Rp 20 million per account.<\/p>\n
The balance leftover that is still owed by the banks to
\ncreditors and depositors will be settled after the liquidation of
\nthe banks' assets.<\/p>\n
Probosutedjo also demanded that Bank Jakarta's reserves at
\nthe central bank be returned.<\/p>\n
He claimed that Bank Jakarta's assets were worth Rp 300
\nbillion.<\/p>\n
Probosutedjo admitted that he had not yet approached Mar'ie or
\nSoedradjad for the proposed out-of-court settlement.<\/p>\n
Probosutedjo also said it was not his responsibility to find
\njobs for the former employees of Bank Jakarta, blaming Mar'ie for
\nmaking them jobless.<\/p>\n
\"They are now unemployed because of Pak Mar'ie. So let him
\nfind jobs for them. I don't care how he does it,\" he said, adding
\nthat he was no longer interested in banking. (jsk)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/probosutedjo-sets-conditions-for-out-of-court-settlement-1447893297",
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