Bankers, lawyer banned from traveling
JAKARTA (JP): Seven bankers and a lawyer, implicated in the misuse of Bank Indonesia liquidity funds, have been banned by the Attorney General's Office from traveling overseas for one year starting April 30.
The Attorney General's Office spokesman, Muljohardjo, announced on Tuesday that his office imposed the travel ban on the bankers and lawyer to facilitate a smooth investigation against them.
Those banned from traveling abroad include Johan Setiawan, former president of closed Bank Dewarutji; Dewarutji director Aloysius Indrianto Tedjoseputro; Wiwaha Boenyamin, former president of closed Bank Dagang Negara (BDN); former BDN executives Dawidju Widjaja and Muzakir Ajona; Jusuf Kartadibrata, head of supervising team for the liquidation of Bank Industri.
The other banker affected by the travel ban is suspect Setiawan Haryono, the former president director of former Bank Aspac, who is now under detention at the Attorney General's Office but is currently being treated at a hospital due to ill- health.
The lawyer with the travel ban is R.M. Warsito Sanyoto, who is allegedly implicated in loan abuse at closed Bank Industri.
The loan abuse case centers on the mis-channeling of some Rp 138.4 trillion in Bank Indonesia's liquidity support to 48 commercial banks following massive bank runs between 1998 and 1999.
That amount accounts for 95 percent of the total Rp 144.5 trillion of Bank Indonesia liquidity support to the then troubled commercial banks.
Also on Tuesday, the Attorney General's Office questioned former minister of finance Mar'ie Muhammad as a witness in a Rp 1.1 trillion (US$91 million) corruption case in state investment company PT Bahana Pembinaan Usaha Indonesia (BPUI) in which his predecessor Ali Wardhana was named a suspect.
Muljohardjo said Mar'ie was posed with questions over his knowledge, in his capacity as the minister of finance, in signing a decree designating Ali Wardhana as BPUI commissioner and in establishing a team supervising debts of the state-run banks in 1993.
"The witness was also questioned about his role in signing a loan agreement with BPUI, that provided the latter with state funds for investment purposes. This facility was supposed to be used solely by the Ministry of Finance but had then been abused by BPUI," Muljohardjo told reporters.
The investigation by state prosecutors against BPUI revealed that the company had allegedly embezzled some Rp 1.1 trillion when it took over the debt of publicly listed timber company PT Barito Pacific in exchange for shares.
Former BPUI president director Sudjiono Timan had also been named a suspect in the case.
Mar'ie is now the chairman of the Indonesian Transparent Society, a non-governmental organization he established after leaving the Ministry of Finance in 1998.
Two other former finance ministers, J.B. Sumarlin and Bambang Subianto, had also been questioned as witnesses for Ali Wardhana, who held the finance minister post from 1968 to 1983. (bby)