Spokesman denies Sudjana's $21 million fraud<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Ministry of Mines and Energy's secretary-
\ngeneral, Umar Said, yesterday denied press reports that his boss,
\nMinister I.B. Sudjana, had channeled Rp 50 billion (US$21.36
\nmillion) from PT Tambang Batubara Bukit Asam into his personal
\nbank account.<\/p>\n
"The reports on the personal account were too much. We may sue
\nthe source of that information," Umar told a press conference
\nheld to rebut reports on "irregularities" at the ministry.<\/p>\n
Umar said the media reports on Sudjana over the last few
\nweeks had become too personal, particularly those on the
\nminister's bank account and Director General of Mines Kuntoro
\nMangkusubroto.<\/p>\n
Minister Sudjana was not at the press conference. A spokesman
\nfor the ministry said he had gone to India after attending the
\nOrganization of Petroleum Exporting Countries' ministerial
\nmeeting in Vienna last week.<\/p>\n
Sudjana denied the reports on embezzlement from the state coal
\nmining company in a long-distance telephone interview from Vienna
\nlast week with the Gatra newsweekly magazine.<\/p>\n
He said he had reported on the company's funds to President
\nSoeharto but did not tell the magazine what the funds were used
\nfor.<\/p>\n
"It is complete slander," Sudjana retorted to a question from
\nGatra on why he transferred Rp 50 billion of the company's money
\nto his personal account.<\/p>\n
But Ambyo Mangunwidjaja, who was the president of Tambang
\nBatubara until August 1994, confirmed receiving a letter from
\nminister Sudjana in the third quarter of 1994 which ordered him
\nto transfer Rp 50 billion from Tambang Batubara to the minister's
\nbank account.<\/p>\n
Sudjana stated in his letter the money would be used for a
\nrevolving fund to improve the welfare of the ministry's staff.<\/p>\n
"I and the other members of the management first ignored the
\nletter because it was against regulations. But we later (under
\npressure) decided to make the transfer but only to the sum Rp 40
\nbillion," Ambyo told Gatra.<\/p>\n
Ambyo said he and the other directors then released a joint
\nstatement expressing their objections to the transfer. They then
\nreported the transfer to Tambang Batubara's board of supervisors,
\nthe Government Finance Comptroller and the Supreme Audit Agency.<\/p>\n
Ambyo and his fellow directors were sacked in August 1994.<\/p>\n
Kuntoro reportedly also questioned the transfer.<\/p>\n
In October, Sudjana stripped Kuntoro of his authority to issue
\nfinal contracts of work for mining, except for oil and natural
\ngas.<\/p>\n
The controversial transfer surfaced when House member
\nTadjoedin Nur Said questioned the finance minister at a House of
\nRepresentatives' hearing last week.<\/p>\n
Tadjoedin asked why the funds, estimated at Rp 288.4 billion,
\nreceived by Tambang Batubara from coal mining contractors as the
\ngovernment's share of its mines' output, had been banked in a
\nMinistry of Mines and Energy account and not transferred directly
\nto the treasury according to Presidential Instruction No.75\/1996.<\/p>\n
Minister of Finance Mar'ie Muhammad confirmed the existence of
\nthe funds which he said totaled Rp 288.4 billion but he declined
\nto explain their status.<\/p>\n
When Umar was questioned by reporters yesterday on why the
\nminister removed Kuntoro's authority, he said: "It is part of our
\neffort to streamline our institution. Please don't see the
\ndecision per se as an isolated case." (bnt\/vin)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/spokesman-denies-sudjanas-21-million-fraud-1447893297",
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