Bambang questioned in bank scam

Bambang questioned in bank scam

JAKARTA (JP): Bambang Trihatmodjo, a son of former president
Soeharto, was questioned by police on Thursday night over
allegations of a scam at his Bank Andromeda, which was closed
down by the government last November for mismanagement.

An officer at the National Police headquarters confirmed that
Bambang, the owner of the widely diversified Bimantara Group, was
"being interrogated as a suspect".

A few hours earlier, the National Police said they had issued
arrest warrants for 10 Andromeda commissioners and directors.

It was not immediately clear whether Bambang had been picked
up by the police following the arrest warrants or had gone to the
National Police headquarters of his own accord.

Maj. Gen. Da'i Bachtiar, the National Police chief detective,
refused to confirm or deny Bambang's status. "I have no statement
on the matter as of now," Da'i said on Thursday night.

National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Togar Sianipar told
reporters at his office earlier that the warrants were issued
because the 10 suspects had ignored three consecutive summonses
by the police to help with the investigation.

"So today we issued the arrest warrants," Togar told reporters
in his office on Thursday afternoon.

"We believe they are still here (in the country) and we have
put their names on the immigration office's list of people barred
from traveling overseas," he said.

Police sources said that besides Bambang, an arrest warrant
was issued for tycoon Prajogo Pangestu, who was vice president of
Bank Andromeda's board of commissioners.

The others were for Henry Pribadi, Peter F. Gontha, Jusran and
Junanda P. Syarfuan who all sat on the board of commissioners,
and president director Nico Mailangkay and other members of the
board of directors Isman Dito, Uthan A. Sadikin and Megawaty W.
Liem.

Andromeda is one of 21 banks that has been referred to the
police by Bank Indonesia regarding the possible violation of
banking laws.

The bank was closed down by the government in November along
with 15 others because of allegations that they had violated the
rule limiting lending to their own business groups.

Bambang was allowed to acquire another bank after he
vehemently protested the government's decision to close Bank
Andromeda. He said he had paid back the loans Bank Andromeda
issued to his Bimantara Group.

The police's investigations into these liquidated banks are
mostly based on suspicions that they breached the legal lending
limit and failed to report this to the authorities, thereby
violating the 1992 Banking Law.

If found guilty, the suspects face a maximum sentence of six
years imprisonment and a Rp 6 billion (US$550,000) fine.

So far, two of the investigated banks have been sent to the
court for prosecution: Bank Dwipa Semesta and Bank Citrahasta
Dhanamanunggal.

Police are in the final stages of investigating seven further
banks: Sejahtera Bank Umum (SBU), Bank Harapan Sentosa (BHS),
South East Asia Bank (SEAB), Bank Pasific, Bank Anrico, Bank Kosa
Graha and Bank Pinaesaan. They have already named 24 suspects
from these banks.

Togar said police have also named Mohammad "Bob" Hasan, the
chief commissioner of Bank Umum Nasional, Bank Modern chief
commissioner Samadikun Hartono and BDNI president Sjamsul
Nursalim as suspects in investigation of these banks, which were
closed down by the government last month after receiving a heavy
injection of funds from the central bank.

Police sources said Hasan, a Soeharto crony, would be
questioned by the police on Monday. (edt)