Sumarlin ready to answer summons to testify<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): \"I am ready and willing to testify in a court of
\nlaw,\" J.B. Sumarlin, chairman of the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK),
\ntold reporters after one hour of questioning at the Attorney
\nGeneral's Office yesterday morning.<\/p>\n
Sumarlin, dressed in a dark-blue suit, arrived in a
\nchauffeured silver Toyota sedan at 7:55 a.m. to give testimony
\nfor the ongoing investigation of the Rp 1.3 trillion (US$620
\nmillion) loan fraud at the State Development Bank of Indonesia
\n(Bapindo).<\/p>\n
Sumarlin, who was the finance minister and supervisor of
\nBapindo when the loans were approved and disbursed between 1989
\nand 1992, told newsmen that he had responded to the summons of
\nAttorney General Singgih to give additional information on the
\ncircumstances surrounding the credit fraud.<\/p>\n
Sumarlin is alleged to have pressured Bapindo's board of
\ndirectors to approve the loans to businessman Eddy Tansil, who is
\ncurrently in custody as the main suspect in the case.<\/p>\n
Sumarlin submitted a written statement last month in answer to
\n25 written questions from the Attorney General's Office.<\/p>\n
Sumarlin told newsmen after the questioning yesterday that he
\ngave his statements under oath, implying that he might not have
\nto appear at the coming trial if the Attorney General's Office
\nassesses his testimony as being sufficient.<\/p>\n
He reaffirmed a remark he made after meeting with President
\nSoeharto on Thursday last week that he had from the outset fully
\nsupported the investigations into the alleged loan scandal.<\/p>\n
\"I testified with a high sense of responsibility,\" Sumarlin
\nsaid in reply to questions about his feelings about being
\nquestioned as a witness about suspected fraud at a state bank
\nunder his supervision.<\/p>\n
Sumarlin refused to go into any detail about his suspected
\nrole in the issuance of the Bapindo loans. Neither would he
\naddress questions as to whether he had really pressured the
\nBapindo management into extending the loans to Eddy and his
\nGolden Key Group without the proper credit procedures.<\/p>\n
Singgih, who accompanied Sumarlin when he was replying to
\nnewsmen's questions, said the testimony, which was taken under
\noath, was done in line with the judicial system and the
\nprocedures of investigation applied to all citizens, irrespective
\nof their official status.<\/p>\n
Singgih said another reason for the official recording of his
\nstatements at the Attorney General's Office was to allow
\nSumarlin, who is a high level official, to perform his official
\ntasks, including going on overseas missions, without having to
\ntake the time to testify in court.<\/p>\n
Singgih added that the written testimony and the additional
\ninformation provided by Sumarlin yesterday would enable the
\ncoming trial of the suspects in the loan scandal to go on even
\nthough Sumarlin, due to unexpected developments, might not be
\nable to testify in future court trials.<\/p>\n
Of the three high ranking officials alleged to have been
\ninfluential in getting Eddy's credit applications approved, only
\nNasrudin Sumintapura, the former junior minister of finance, has
\nnot been questioned directly by investigators.<\/p>\n
Sudomo, chairman of the Supreme Advisory Council, was the
\nfirst of the high level officials to be summoned by the Attorney
\nGeneral's Office to give additional information to supplement the
\nwritten testimony he earlier provided in responding to written
\nquestions.<\/p>\n
Sudomo, who was the coordinating minister for political and
\nsecurity affairs when the loan scam occurred, testified before
\ninvestigators last Friday.<\/p>\n
Five former Bapindo executives are now detained, together with
\nEddy Tansil, as suspects in the loan fraud. They are Subekti
\nIsmaun, Towil Heryoto and Sjahrizal, all former bank presidents,
\nBambang Kuntjoro, a former director, and Maman Suparman, former
\nJakarta deputy manager for Bapindo. (02)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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