Another BRI boss sent to jail
Sari P. Setiogi/Theresia Sufa, Jakarta/Bogor
Another former Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) branch head was found guilty on Tuesday of stealing Rp 93.5 billion (US$9.5 million) in state funds and was sentenced to 17 years in prison.
Last week, former branch heads of BRI Segitiga Senen Deden Gumilar Sapoetra and BRI Pasar Tanah Abang Agus Riyanto, were sentenced to 16 years and six years in prison respectively for misusing state funds amounting to Rp 180 billion.
Asep Tarwan, former head of BRI Surya Kencana Bogor, was found guilty of channeling the money -- which came from an account of PT Jamsostek -- as credit to PT Delta Makmur Ekspresindo (PT DME) and PT Panca Prakarsa, without complying with proper procedures.
He was also fined Rp 250 million and was ordered to repay some Rp 40 billion to the state.
The sentence was lighter than the prosecution's recommendation of 20 years and a fine of Rp 83.6 billion.
The trial was held at the Bogor District Court, Bogor, led by Judge Russedar, who asked the defendant to be sent straight to prison after the trial.
Asep, wearing a blue shirt and black trousers, said he would consider appealing the verdict.
Separately, prosecutors at the Central Jakarta District Court recommended on Tuesday a 20-year prison term for Yudi Kartolo and Hartono Tjahjadjaja, commissioner and director of PT DME respectively.
"Both defendants were proven to have agreed to misappropriate state funds. Together with the banks' branch heads and their arrangers, they met several times to arrange the placement of credit in their accounts," said prosecutor Aziz Husein.
PT DME is the company that was allegedly used as a vehicle to take money from three BRI branches -- Surya Kencana Bogor, Segitiga Senen and Pasar Tanah Abang.
Yudi and Hartono attended the court session at the start of the trial but left later due to nausea. A letter signed by general practitioner Yansen Sitorus said Yudi had an acute digestion problem.
Prosecutors said Yudi and Hartono were proven to have at least four meetings with BRI branch heads before the placement of each deposit in the company's accounts in BRI.
Between July and September 2003, PT DME's accounts in the three BRI branches received at least Rp 273 billion as "loans with a high interest rate".
The money came from fixed deposit accounts, including those belonging to PT Jamsostek and Bank Pembangunan Daerah of East Kalimantan.
All account holders denied they gave permission to the BRI branches heads to use their money.
Yudi is reported to be an old hand at orchestrating banking fraud because of his alleged involvement in the Rp 1.1 trillion Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) case in 2001.