Bankers, lawyer banned from traveling
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)