Bank employee gets 1 year jail term

BOGOR (JP): The Bogor District Court sentenced an executive of the private Bank Central Asia (BCA) branch office here to one year in jail and two years probation for swindling Rp 3 billion (US$353,000) from the bank.

Presiding Judge Elsa Mutiara found on Thursday defendant Bimo Wahyu, 30, chief of the credit card department at BCA's Bogor branch office, guilty of stealing the money between June 1997 and May of last year.

"The defendant stole the bank's money through customers' credit cards," Elsa said.

She said the customers applied to the bank for credit cards, but Bimo never handed over the cards to the owners.

The defendant, instead, used the cards to withdraw money, which he then transferred into his personal account.

Bimo also withdrew money with some 30 credit cards which had expired and been returned by their owners, she said.

"He extended the validity of the cards and then utilized them for his own interests," she said.

In carrying out his crimes, the defendant also forged the signature of the head of the BCA branch office in Bogor, Elsa said.

Based on available evidence and testimony, Bimo was found guilty of violating Article 49 of Law No. 7/1992 on banking and Article 372 of the Criminal Code on swindling.

The violations carry a maximum punishment of 15 years in jail and a fine of up to Rp 10 billion, and four years in jail and a fine of up to Rp 900 respectively.

According to Elsa, the defendant agreed to return the money to the bank in installments paid out over a one year period.

"It's fair to sentence Bimo to probation to give him the chance to work outside of the jail so he will be able to return the money," she said. (24/jun)