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.