Attorney general grills Baramuli for four hours

JAKARTA (JP): The former head of the Supreme Advisory Council, Arnold A. Baramuli, was questioned at the Attorney General's Office on Monday in connection with the Bank Bali scandal.

Along with Baramuli, who is now a member of the People's Consultative Assembly, Bank Indonesia Governor Sjahril Sabirin, businessman and House of Representatives legislator Setya Novanto and former Bank Bali president director Rudy Ramli were present at the questioning, which lasted four hours.

Attorney General's Office spokesman Soehandoyo said Baramuli, Sjahril and Novanto were summoned as witnesses, while Rudy was present as a suspect in the case.

The questioning of Baramuli and Novanto, both Golkar Party executives, was delayed for several months as the attorney general awaited approval from the president to summon the pair. The president's approval is required before legislators and high- ranking officials can be questioned by the attorney general.

The case, which broke in late July, centers on Bank Bali's transfer in early June of some Rp 546 billion to PT Era Giat Prima (EGP) as a commission for the firm's services in assisting the bank to recoup some Rp 904 billion in interbank loans on the now defunct Bank Dagang Nasional Indonesia.

EGP is owned by businessmen Djoko S. Chandra and Novanto. Most of the commission allegedly ended up in the hands of a team of Golkar executives established to secure Habibie's victory in the November presidential election.

One of Rudy's lawyers, L.L.M. Samosir, said he submitted "important and key documents" to the Attorney General's Office during the questioning.

Rudy evaded a barrage of questions when he emerged from the office surrounded by bodyguards.

"The questions from the attorney were good, all good," he said.

Soehandoyo said along with Rudy, Novanto, Djoko and former Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency deputy chairman Pande Lubis had also been named suspects in the scandal.

The South Jakarta District Court recently dismissed the case against Rudy, his two former deputies Firman Soetjahya and Henri Kurniawan, and former bank director Rusli Suryadi. (emf)