Bapepam to get investigation training

JAKARTA (JP): Officials investigating capital market crimes are to get special training from the Supreme Court.

The training will be provided under a memorandum of understanding which was signed yesterday by the Capital Market Supervisory Agency (Bapepam) and the Attorney General's Office (AG0).

The training, to be carried out by AGO officials, will improve the skills of Bapepam's officials in investigating and questioning people suspected of capital market crimes.

The cooperation agreement, signed by Bapepam Chairman I Putu Gde Ary Suta and Deputy Attorney General for Supervision Sidharta Tjokrowasito, also allows Bapepam to give technical advice on capital market activities to AGO officials.

Finance Minister Mar'ie Muhammad, who with Attorney General Singgh witnessed the signing ceremony, said legal enforcement in the capital market should be based on capital market law.

But having capital market law alone was not sufficient if it was not supported with the enforcement of the law in capital market operations, he said.

"What's more important is the enforcement of the law in the daily market operations," he said.

"You know there are some good and bad investors in the capital market," he said.

"The memorandum aims to better prepare Bapepam to cope with capital market crime in the future."

He said trading activities and investment instruments in the capital market would grow and diversify in line with steady market development.

Bapepam recently investigated hundreds of brokerage executives and directors of the Jakarta Stock Exchange over Bank Pikko's sudden share rise on the exchange early last month.

The investigation resulted in senior executives of two securities companies being fined and more than 50 securities