Bank Andromeda bosses summoned
Bank Andromeda bosses summoned
JAKARTA (JP): Bank Andromeda commissioner Peter F. Gontha went
to the National Police headquarters on Friday to clarify the
police summons against him regarding allegations of a scam at the
bank.
The police later confirmed they had summoned 10 Bank Andromeda
commissioners and directors, including former president
Soeharto's son Bambang Trihatmodjo, to testify as to whether the
bank had violated lending limits before the government closed it
last November for mismanagement.
After a brief meeting at the police station, Peter, who has
close business links with Bambang, told journalists he had never
received his summons. He refused to elaborate further or answer
questions about Bambang.
Maj. Gen. Da'i Bachtiar, the National Police chief detective,
denied Friday newspaper reports that an arrest warrant had been
issued for Bambang, Bank Andromeda's vice-president commissioner,
and that he had already testified.
The Jakarta Post inaccurately reported on Friday that Bambang
was questioned by police on Thursday night.
Da'i, who did not name those summoned, said arrest warrants
had been prepared, but not yet sent. He did not say when Bambang
was scheduled to testify.
Samadikun Hartono of Bank Modern and Hokianto of Bank Hokindo,
whose operations were suspended last month and in April
respectively, promised on Friday to repay the liquidity credits
borrowed from the central bank.
"I am able to repay the money," Samadikun told reporters after
eight hours of questioning at the Attorney General's Office here
on Friday.
Samadikun, Hokianto and other bankers were questioned over
liquidity credits totaling Rp 141.52 trillion (US$12.87 billion)
which Bank Indonesia injected into 14 troubled banks, including
Bank Modern and Bank Hokindo.
"We hope that we can repay the money on Sept. 15," Hokianto
said, adding that his bank received Rp 200 billion.
Some 50 activists protested at the Attorney General's Office
on Friday to demand firm action against corruptors and violators
of the country's banking regulations.
They carried posters featuring, among other things,
caricatures of former president Soeharto, Bambang, Soeharto's
eldest daughter Siti Hardijanti Rukmana and several of their
close associates, including plywood tycoon Mohammad "Bob" Hasan.
The latter was questioned at the Attorney General's Office on
Thursday.
The government recently set a Sept. 21 deadline for troubled
banks to repay liquidity credits to Bank Indonesia. The
Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA) has been given the
authority to seize bank owners' private assets if they fail to
honor their obligations.
The operations of Bank Modern, Bank Umum Nasional and Bank
Dagang Negara Indonesia were suspended two weeks ago at the same
time as three other banks -- Bank Danamon, Bank Central Asia and
Bank PDFCI -- were brought under government control. Seven other
banks whose operations were frozen in April are to be liquidated
soon.
In Yogyakarta, Attorney General Andi Muhammad Ghalib admitted
that his office faced difficulties investigating the troubled
banks.
"We are having difficulties in the investigation because the
bankers' tricks are sophisticated while the prosecutors are still
20 years behind," Ghalib said on Friday after signing an
agreement on education cooperation between his office and Gadjah
Mada University in Yogyakarta.
Ghalib therefore called on prosecutors to immediately improve
their knowledge of the banking system.
In Semarang, Central Java, Antara reported that Minister of
Justice Muladi said authorities had tightened security at the
Halim Perdanakusuma airport in East Jakarta where some bankers
keep private planes, fearing they might try to flee abroad.
Ninety-six bankers are currently under investigation as part
of the government's attempt to clean up the country's banking
system.
The companies of Soeharto's children and associates have come
under scrutiny since the former army general quit in May
following riots and student protests. (byg/23)