Another suspect in BNI scam detained

JAKARTA: After several weeks with no progress, the National Police have held another suspect in the Rp 1.7 trillion (US$202.4 million) BNI scandal at police headquarters since Wednesday Dec. 24. The suspect in question is Harris, the president director of the Mahesa Group.

"We are interrogating him," said National Police deputy chief of the public relations division Brig. Gen. Soenarko, on Monday.

Soenarko said that Harris was accused of receiving funds from the high-profile scam, but declined to state the amount that he had already received. Harris was one of the owners of the 156 accounts to which funds from the scam had been channeled.

"We found sufficient evidence to declare him a suspect," said Soenarko, without elaborating.

The police have detained 14 suspects so far in the scandal, including Harris. Previously, 3 BNI officials and 10 businesspeople were detained. One main suspect, Maria Pauline Lumowa, is still at large in Singapore.

Meanwhile, National Police chief of detectives Com. Gen. Erwin Mappaseng said that the police had recovered some Rp 800 billion in funds from the scandal, including in the form of property and cash.

He also added that the dossier of Edi Santoso, the prime suspect in the case, was going to be submitted to the Attorney General's Office soon. -- JP