Sumarlin testifies in Bahana graft case<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Former minister of finance J.B. Sumarlin on
\nThursday testified as a witness in the investigation into the Rp
\n1.1 trillion (US$91.6 million) corruption case related to state-
\nowned investment company PT Bahana Pembinaan Usaha Indonesia
\n(BPUI), which implicated his predecessor Ali Wardhana.<\/p>\n
Spokesman to the Attorney General's Office Muljohardjo said
\nSumarlin, who held the post from 1988 to 1993, was asked
\nquestions about the signing of an agreement on a management
\ncooperation between his office and BPUI which he had signed in
\nhis capacity as the minister of finance.<\/p>\n
BPUI itself is jointly owned by the Ministry of Finance and
\nthe central bank, where the ministry holds 20 percent of its
\nshares and the central bank holds the remaining 80 percent,
\nMuljohardjo said.<\/p>\n
\"The prosecutors, led by Budiman Rahardjo, also queried the
\nformer minister over an agreement to appoint a private investment
\ncompany PT Artha Investa Arga (AIA) as partner to BPUI in the
\nmanagement cooperation,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Sumarlin admitted that he had signed the agreement between
\nBPUI shareholders and PT AIA shareholders, but refused to give
\nfurther explanation.<\/p>\n
\"I'm in a hurry. I have to attend my mother's burial today in
\nBlitar, East Java,\" he told reporters after the seven-hour
\nsession.<\/p>\n
An investigation by the prosecutors revealed that BPUI had
\nallegedly embezzled some Rp 1.1 trillion when taking over the
\ndebt of publicly-listed timber company PT Barito Pacific in
\nexchange for shares.<\/p>\n
The debt was Rp 1.7 trillion but BPUI only paid Barito some Rp
\n600 billion, prosecutors stated.<\/p>\n
The prosecutors had named Ali, BPUI president commissioner,
\nwho was the finance minister from 1968 to 1983, as suspect, along
\nwith BPUI president director Sudjiono Tiran.<\/p>\n
On the same day, former account officer of BPUI Angki Hermawan
\nwas also questioned as a witness for Sudjiono.<\/p>\n
He was asked to reveal his knowledge about transactions made
\nwith PT Barito, Muljohardjo said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, businessman Robby Tjahjadi was also questioned as a
\nwitness over the alleged assets mark-up at his company PT
\nKanindotex when being taken over by his friend, Johannes Kotjo in
\nMay 1995, through Apac Century Corporation (PT ACen), a
\nconsortium where Robby holds 36.6 percent shares.<\/p>\n
Robby and Johannes had been named as suspects in the case.<\/p>\n
According to Muljohardjo, Robby revealed that Johannes then
\nproposed a credit restructuring deal with the now defunct Bank
\nBumi Daya (BBD).<\/p>\n
Later, in order to fulfill the restructuring prerequisites,
\nJohannes marked up the value of the company's assets from $2.4
\nmillion to $10.4 million, Muljohardjo said.<\/p>\n
\"According to a notarial document in 1995, Robby still owned
\nhis shares in the consortium and had received $70 million from
\nthe sale of his assets,\" he added.<\/p>\n
However, Robby's lawyer Eri Hertiawan said that his client
\nnever received the said amount from the consortium and was not
\ninvolved in the restructuring plan since Robby had been staying
\nin Singapore from 1994 to 1998. (bby)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/sumarlin-testifies-in-bahana-graft-case-1447893297",
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