Bapindo bank scandal prisoner Maman dies

Bapindo bank scandal prisoner Maman dies

JAKARTA (JP): A former Bapindo bank executive serving a nine- year jail term for swindling Rp 1.3 trillion ($620 million) died yesterday.

Maman Suparman, 49, died of a heart attack in the Kramat Jati police hospital in East Jakarta.

Prison head Lukman Gozali said Maman complained about his chest yesterday morning. He had looked well the day before.

The body was sent to the Cipto Mangunkusumo hospital for a post mortem examination. The corpse was then transported to his family's house on Jl.Tanah Mas in East Jakarta upon the relatives' request.

Maman's lawyer Deny Kailimang complained that Maman's wife Komariyah was prohibited from seeing the corpse.

"When Maman was brought to hospital, Komariyah was not allowed to accompany her husband in the ambulance," he said.

Maman was sentenced last year to nine years in prison by the South Jakarta District Court for his role in the infamous graft case. He had spent two years of his sentence in Salemba prison.

Five executives of Bapindo, including Maman Suparman, Syahrizal, Bambang Kuntjoro, Subekti Ismaun and Towil Heryoto, were also found guilty in the scam. Maman was an assistant director of the bank.

They were in the board of directors when the state-owned Bapindo loaned nearly $500 million between 1989 and 1994 to businessman Eddy Tansil to finance his ambitious petrochemical project in Cilegon, West Java.

The loan turned sour and Tansil was sentenced to 17 years in prison for cashing in on the loans with the help of some insiders and for bypassing standard banking procedures.

Syahrizal and Subekti Ismaun got six years in jail each, while Towil Heryoto and Bambang Kuntjoro were handed eight and four years respectively.

The Supreme Court recently turned down Maman's and four other convicts' appeal. The Supreme Court increased the sentence of Eddy Tansil to 20 years imprisonment. (29/05)