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)