Ambassador confirms Hendra's arrest

Ambassador confirms Hendra's arrest

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian Ambassador to Australia Wirjono
Sastrohandoyo confirmed on Friday the arrest of Hendra Rahardja,
one of Indonesia's most wanted white-collar criminal suspects, by
the Australian Federal Police last week.

"My staff and I have not yet met the detainee face to face,
but we strongly believe that the man currently locked up by the
Australian police is Hendra Rahardja as stated in a notice sent
recently to the embassy by the Australian attorney general,"
Wirjono told The Jakarta Post from Canberra.

Hendra fled the country two years ago following the
liquidation of his two banks -- Bank Harapan Sentosa (BHS) and
Bank Guna International.

However, there is speculation that the man arrested by
Australian police at Kingsford-Smith International Airport in
Sydney on June 1 is not the right man, following remarks made by
Hendra's former lawyer, Alamsyah Hanafiah.

Alamsyah, who was Hendra's lawyer at the time his banks were
liquidated, told the Post on Thursday night that Hendra's
relatives, including those living overseas, had told him the
former bank owner was not in police custody and was abroad.

The lawyer was unable to be reached on Friday for further
comment.

Hendra's arrest was announced by National Police chief Gen.
Roesmanhadi on Thursday.

According to the secretary of Interpol's National Central
Bureau, Brig. Gen. Wayan Ardjana, Hendra was arrested at the
Sydney airport after a flight from Hong Kong.

Hendra, the brother of fugitive Eddy Tansil, allegedly fled
the country to avoid arrest following the liquidation of his two
banks, which have total assets worth an estimated Rp 4.7 trillion
(US$602.6 million).

When asked last night about Alamsyah's findings, officer Wayan
said: "They (the lawyer and Hendra's relatives) can say whatever
they want but we, the police, insist that the man is the real
Hendra, who has been wanted by the country for years."

The officer speculated that Hendra's relatives attempted to
hide the shameful story of the fugitive's arrest.

Wayan claimed the identity of Hendra had been verified against
copies of fingerprints, passports and photographs sent by Jakarta
to Sydney authorities shortly after the arrest.

Both Wayan and Ambassador Wirjono acknowledged the extradition
of Hendra would not be imposed by the Australian government in
the immediate future.

"Basically, the process of extradition won't be too
complicated, but it takes time due to the legal process," Wirjono
said. (bsr)