Will Towil disclose Sumarlin's role?<\/p>\n
By Rudy Madanir<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Did J.B. Sumarlin really overrule the decision
\nby the directors of Bapindo to cut their losses with Eddy
\nTansil's loans in June 1992?<\/p>\n
The question is expected to be answered by Sumarlin himself
\nwhen he testifies beginning today in the trial of Towil Heryoto,
\none of the four former Bapindo directors suspected of involvement
\nin the Rp 1.3 trillion (US$620 million) loan scam at the state-
\nowned bank.<\/p>\n
Towil and former Bapindo directors Sjahrizal, Subekti Ismaun
\nand Bambang Kuntjoro, who are also suspects in the case, blamed
\ntheir failure to cut their losses with Tansil on Sumarlin, the
\nthen finance minister.<\/p>\n
All four testified in Tansil's trial that on the morning of
\nJune 2, 1992, the directors decided to cut their losses with
\nTansil's loans and stop issuing further banker's acceptances in
\nconnection with his loans. At that time Tansil had already
\nreceived $208 million of his total of $436 million in loans.<\/p>\n
Only hours later however, Sjahrizal said he was summoned to
\nSumarlin's office at which time he was ordered to allow Tansil to
\ncash in on the remaining loans that were pledged to him.<\/p>\n
Later in the afternoon Sjahrizal returned to the office and
\ninformed the other directors of Sumarlin's remarks during a board
\nof directors meeting. They then reversed their morning decision
\nand continued to make good on all their loan commitments to
\nTansil.<\/p>\n
Sumarlin has reportedly denied the existence of the June 2
\nmeeting with Sjahrizal, claiming he was in Irian Jaya on that
\nday.<\/p>\n
Are the four lying?<\/p>\n
Towil's trial should clarify not only the role of Sumarlin,
\ncurrently the chairman of the Supreme Audit Board, but also
\ndisclose more details about the roles of Sudomo and Nasruddin
\nSumintapura in the loan scam. Both of them are among the 45
\nwitnesses expected to testify at the trial.<\/p>\n
Sudomo was the coordinating minister of political affairs and
\nsecurity and Nasruddin was the junior finance minister when
\nTansil's loans were approved and disbursed between 1989 and 1993.<\/p>\n
Sudomo is now the chairman of the Supreme Advisory Board on
\nwhich Nasruddin also sits.<\/p>\n
Like the trials of Eddy Tansil and Maman Suparman, the first
\ntwo suspects in the scam, Towil's trial will feature a courtroom
\nbattle involving judges, public prosecutors and lawyers.<\/p>\n
Here are brief profiles of the principle players in the legal
\nbattle surrounding Towil.<\/p>\n
Presiding Judge Soedjatman<\/p>\n
He is chief of the South Jakarta District Court.<\/p>\n
The court career of the 59-year-old who hails from Blora,
\nCentral Java, dates back to 1959 in Pati, Central Java. He then
\nmoved to the Central Java towns of Rembang in 1970, Kudus in 1979
\nand finally Bali's capital of Denpasar in 1984 when he was named
\nchief of the district court. Two years later he became chief of
\nthe court in Palembang, South Sumatra and in 1991 he took over
\nthe South Jakarta District Court.<\/p>\n
He studied law at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta and
\nobtained his master's degree at Diponegoro University in
\nSemarang, Central Java in 1967.<\/p>\n
His most celebrated cases involved foreigners on drug charges
\nduring his stint in Bali. He also handled a major timber
\nsmuggling case in Palembang.<\/p>\n
Chief prosecutor Taslim Hasyim<\/p>\n
Taslim, 57, who hails from Komering Ilir, South Sumatra, is a
\nmember of the Attorney General's Corruption Crimes Division.<\/p>\n
He studied law at the University of Padjadjaran in Bandung,
\nWest Java.<\/p>\n
His career took him through prosecutor's offices in Denpasar,
\nPalembang and Lubuk Linggau before he moved to the Attorney
\nGeneral's office in 1977. Since then he has handled many cases of
\nsubversion for that office.<\/p>\n
Taslim achieved fame for his handling of the case of Imron who
\nhijacked a Garuda Indonesia plane in 1981.<\/p>\n
Rudy Lontoh, Towil's lawyer<\/p>\n
Rudy, 51, is a senior partner at the Rudy A. Lontoh, Denny
\nKailimang and associates law firm which was established in 1980.<\/p>\n
A native of Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi, he majored in
\ncriminology at the Faculty of Law of the Parahyangan Catholic
\nUniversity in Bandung.<\/p>\n
Between 1974-1979 he studied at the notary school of
\nUniversity of Indonesia while working at a law firm.<\/p>\n
Along with Denny Kailimang, he represented the children of
\nHaji Achmad Thaher in their fight against the government in a
\nSingapore court for the rights to the huge estate of their
\nfather.<\/p>\n
Rudy helped found the Jakarta Lawyers Club in 1992. He was
\nelected as chairman of the Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian
\nLawyers Association in 1989.<\/p>",
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