Amien joins call for action against IBRA debtors
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Amien Rais on Friday urged officials to drop plans to revoke criminal charges against ex-bankers who have not repaid trillions of rupiah in state loans, after senior officials appeared reluctant to authorize such a move.
Calling it a crime against the nation, Amien said the misuse of some Rp 138 trillion (about US$15.33 billion) in Bank Indonesia emergency liquidity loans, should be dealt with accordingly.
"We must let the issue be handled as a criminal case. This concerns losses to the country so it's a crime," Amien told reporters as quoted by Antara.
His statement reflects a simmering unease among officials who must come to terms with a four-year old deal to drop criminal charges against the ex-bankers once they repaid their debts. For most of the 35 debtors, the payment deadline expires this year.
The government's claim that some of the bankers had settled or were close to settling their debts however runs counter to widespread suspicion that they cheated on their repayments.
Four of the ex bankers have been recommended for a release and discharge status that would clear them of criminal charges.
Undecided, though, is on whose authority the status would be granted.
The choice falls between the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA), which signed the original debt settlement deal, the State Minister of State Enterprises Laksamana Sukardi, who is in charge of IBRA, and further up, the Coordinating Minister for the Economy Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti.
President Megawati Soekarnoputri and the Attorney General's Office were also told to authorize the document.
None of the above said they would sign the release and discharge documents. Some officials gave conflicting statements.
This indecision first surfaced on Monday, following a Cabinet meeting that decided to go ahead with the present debt settlement scheme but without naming who should authorize that move.
Minister Dorodjatun told reporters after the Cabinet meeting that a decision would be reached by early next month, in a statement signaling the rift among officials.
Analysts said the apparent reluctance showed the government was unsure of its own policy, and feared that pushing ahead with the unpopular move could trigger a public backlash.
"Their attempt to shove the job to each others' corner is actually a good sign, it shows they still have a conscious," Amien said. "They know it's wrong, that's why they don't dare sign it."
IBRA chairman Syafruddin Temengung however brushed aside that notion. "There's no such thing, I think that's quite clear," he said when asked if they were trying to avoid responsibility, as reported by detik.com.
According to Amien, the out-of-court settlement with the ex bankers has proven to be a ticking time bomb. "Let's see how far IBRA and the debtors can play this game. Do they really want to pay on time?"
Several of the ex bankers who have signed up for IBRA's shareholders settlement program are among the country's wealthiest tycoons.
The program has three categories, the most infamous of which is the 1998 Master of Settlement and Acquisition Agreement (MSAA).
Under the MSAA, debtors may settle their debts by surrendering assets which IBRA sells to recoup the lost funds. But not only are the assets sold at heavily discounted prices, critics said many of them were repurchased by the debtors using third parties as investors.