Sumarlin rebuts Bapindo charges `defamation'<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Former finance minister J.B. Sumarlin calls the
\nallegation that he influenced Bank Pembangunan Indonesia
\n(Bapindo) in its lending policies \"vicious defamation\" against
\nhim and the late Oskar Suryaatmadja, the former director general
\nof monetary affairs.<\/p>\n
Sumarlin appeared in court yesterday to testify at the trial
\nof Sjahrizal, a former Bapindo director who is being held
\nresponsible, along with three other former directors, for
\nallowing the Rp 1.3 trillion ($620 million) debacle to occur at
\nthe state bank.<\/p>\n
Sjahrizal has said that Sumarlin and Oskar specifically
\nordered the bank directors on June 2, 1992, to continue lending
\nto businessman Eddy Tansil, despite the serious risk involved.<\/p>\n
The allegation is \"vicious defamation and an evil conspiracy
\nconcocted by a group of former Bapindo directors in order to
\nprotect themselves,\" Sumarlin told the Central Jakarta District
\nCourt yesterday.<\/p>\n
Sumarlin, now the chairman of the Supreme Audit Board, pointed
\nout that he was in Jayapura, Irian Jaya, on June 2, 1992, and
\nthat Oskar was heading the Indonesian delegation to Washington to
\nnegotiate for new financial assistance with the World Bank.<\/p>\n
Sjahrizal has suggested that he was summoned on June 2, 1992,
\nby both Sumarlin and Oskar and that both men overruled the
\ndecision by the Bapindo board of directors to cut their losses,
\nthen still standing at $208 million, in their dealings with
\nTansil. Both men, who were commissioners of the government-owned
\nbank, ordered that Bapindo lend the full $476 million pledged to
\nTansil, according to Sjahrizal.<\/p>\n
These alleged pressures are the main defense used by Sjahrizal
\nand his colleagues -- Towil Heryoto, Subekti Ismaun and Bambang
\nKuntjoro -- who are now on trial, all charged under the 1970
\nanti-corruption law.<\/p>\n
Sumarlin supplied the court with documents to show that he
\nleft for Jayapura in Irian Jaya on June 2 to take part in an
\nelection campaign for Golkar, the ruling political organization,
\nand did not return until June 5.<\/p>\n
Two crew members of Pelita Air Service and two journalists who
\naccompanied Sumarlin in the trip have already testified in court
\nto support Sumarlin's claim.<\/p>\n
The former minister took particular offense at the attempt by
\nthe Bapindo directors to lay the blame not only on him, but also
\non Oskar, who died in July last year after retiring from public
\noffice.<\/p>\n
\"The late Oskar was in Washington D.C. from May 27 to June 11,
\n1992 on an official mission,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He pointed out that Towil Heryoto was on that mission, as
\nwere a number of other executives from government banks, who all
\nstayed at the Embassy Row Hotel in Washington.<\/p>\n
\"Towil Heryoto stayed in room 207 and Oskar Suryaatmadja was
\nin room 202. They were practically across from each other,\"
\nSumarlin said. \"All this time, these former Bapindo directors
\nremained tightlipped about this in order to strengthen their
\ndefense and shun their responsibility.\"<\/p>\n
He also produced a letter written by Surinder Malik of the
\nWorld Bank testifying that Oskar was indeed in the U.S. capital
\nfrom June 1 to June 10 for negotiations at the bank's
\nheadquarters and that Towil was a member of the Indonesian
\ndelegation.<\/p>\n
Sumarlin stressed that the bank's directors committed a series
\nof errors in their dealings with Tansil and that the decision was
\ntheirs alone.<\/p>\n
He recalled that he once wrote to ASEI, a state company which
\ninsures exports, asking it to re-evaluate the feasibility of
\ninsuring a number of petrochemical projects belonging to Tansil.<\/p>\n
This letter, he said, was then manipulated by the directors of
\nBapindo, which was financing the project, and used to pressure
\nthe insurance company to issue a policy covering the projects.<\/p>\n
Sumarlin also denied ever holding a meeting with Towil to
\ndiscuss Tansil's loans. (imn)<\/p>\n
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