Asset tracing team heads to Hong Kong

JAKARTA: A joint team of officials led by Deputy Attorney General Basrief Arief left for Hong Kong on Monday in an effort to trace assets of convicted corrupter Hendra Rahardja, former president director of the now-liquidated Bank Harapan Sentosa (BHS).

"We plan to meet the Hong Kong police, justice minister and local financial transaction watchdogs there," Basrief said.

He predicted that the Hendra's assets, who died last year in Australia while evading justice in Indonesia, are worth around US$9 billion.

Basrief said the team would stay in Hong Kong for two days before heading to Switzerland to locate assets of another big- time corruption suspect, Irawan Salim, a former president director of Bank Global.

Irawan, whose assets are worth some Rp 500 billion (US$50 million), recently fled Indonesia before facing his graft trial.

Basrief was certain that the Hong Kong and Switzerland governments would respond positively to his team's desire to seize the assets of the embezzlers. --JP