Adrian to face trial soon for role in BNI scandal
Adrian to face trial soon for role in BNI scandal
Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
A major suspect in a multimillion dollar case of fraud involving
state bank BNI, Adrian Herling Waworuntu, will soon stand trial
after the Attorney General's Office has completed his case file.
Office spokesman RJ Soehandojo said on Sunday that Adrian, who
is currently in the custody of the prosecutors, would be charged
with corruption and money laundering.
"We have finished the indictment and we'll submit it and other
documents to the South Jakarta District Court by Wednesday at the
latest," Soehandojo said.
Police had to revise Adrian's case file six times due to
incomplete evidence, which prosecutors said would prevent them
from building a strong case in court.
Many high-profile corruption cases have been dropped either by
the district courts or higher courts due to lack of proof.
Law No. 31/1999 on corruption carries a maximum sentence of
life imprisonment and a maximum fine of Rp 1 billion. The law
also allows the death sentence under special circumstances.
Law No. 25/2003 on money laundering, meanwhile, rules that
violators are subject to a maximum of 15 years of imprisonment
and a Rp 15 billion fine.
It normally takes about two weeks after a case file is handed
in to a district court before the trial commences.
Adrian, who was rearrested in late October after eluding the
police and remaining on the lam for about one month, is one of
several suspects accused of embezzling Rp 1.7 trillion (US$186
million) from BNI last year through fake letters of credit.
If found guilty, Adrian will follow in the footsteps of eight
other suspects in the case, who have been sentenced to between
eight years and life imprisonment.
The life sentence went to Edi Santoso, a former customer
service head at BNI's Kebayoran Baru branch.
The latest suspect convicted was John Hamenda, the director of
PT Petindo Perkasa, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison by
the South Jakarta District Court.
Prime suspect Maria Pauline Lumowa, however, remains at large
in Singapore, a country with which Indonesia does not have an
extradition treaty.
Soehandojo said the completion of the BNI case was a top
priority for his office during the first 100 days of President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's administration.
Attorney General Abdul Rahman Saleh had previously said his
office would focus on 62 cases during the period, including
corruption cases involving state officials.
"Pak Abdul has been present at every discussion we held and
has always reiterated that we have to respond immediately to
reports of crime and complete the required case files as soon as
possible," Soehandojo said.
Among the priority cases, are alleged corruption cases
involving past and present members of regional legislatures as
well as regents.
The President has approved the questioning of seven regents
implicated in graft.
Soehandojo said his office was now completing case files on
corruption cases involving state airport operator PT Angkasa Pura
and Trisakti University, and sugar smuggling implicating chairman
of the Confederation of Primary Cooperatives Association (Inkud)
Nurdin Halid.
A director at airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II, Yayun
Wahyu, was named a suspect last week for allegedly marking up the
price of metal detectors that were procured for airports.