Bank scam suspects' seek rights body's help

JAKARTA (JP): Lawyers acting for five businessmen being held over the Bank Arta Prima scam said yesterday their clients should be freed and police should investigate the two people who reported the case.

They appealed to the National Commission on Human Rights yesterday to recommend that police release their clients, who were all associated with the bank under its first owner, the Gunung Agung Group.

The lawyers told the commission their clients' human rights were abused by the director and the president of Artha Graha Group, which bought the bank last year from PT Jagata Primabumi.

"They misused the legal process," spokesperson for the lawyers Hakim Simamora told the commission.

"They deliberately made a report suggesting that (the five businessmen) acted corruptly, and accusing them of issuing false promissory notes," he said.

The five businessmen are former president of Bank Arta Prima Chalid Aini, former director Husni Ali Tojib, former commissioners Harry Suhalim and Marcel Maulana, and Made Oka Masagung, the former primary shareholder of PT Gunung Agung and Group.

Gunung Agung sold the bank to Jagata in July 1995.

Another businessman being held in connection with the Bank Arta Prima scam is Kim Johanes Mulia of Jagata.

A statement issued by Gunung Agung yesterday at the rights body said that it sold the bank to Jagata on condition that Jagata take over Gunung Agung's debts of Rp 187 billion (US$76,3 million) owed to Bank Arta Prima and other debts of Rp 174 billion.

The statement said Jagata later asked Gunung Agung to issue promissory notes worth Rp 174 billion to pay off Gunung Agung's debts. All these were underwritten by Bank Arta Prima.

Jagata promised to settle the notes but defaulted, Gunung Agung said.

Gunung Agung said Kim Johanes used money derived from the promissory notes in other businesses.

It said charges against the five businessmen should be dropped as the Bank Artha Graha scam took place after Gunung Agung sold the bank to Jagata by which time the businessmen were no longer associated with it.

Hakim said the detention was over-hasty police action that abused the businessmen's human rights.

"We ask the interrogator to also detain the Artha Graha Group's president Soegiantoro and director Alex Susanto," he said. (05)