Bapindo chiefs refute Sumarlin's testimony

JAKARTA (JP): Did Sjahrizal meet with Sumarlin on June 2, 1992?

Sjahrizal, who is on trial along with other former Bapindo directors, is still insisting that he did meet with the former finance minister on that day. Three fellow directors who are also on trial are convinced that the meeting did take place.

Sumarlin, in his testimony during one of the trial sessions on Monday, supplied the court with travel and official documents to prove that he was out of town on the said date, as was the late Oskar Suryaatmaja, who was director of monetary affairs at the time.

Sjahrizal said that on June 2, 1992, he was summoned by Sumarlin and Oskar to their offices and was given specific orders that Bapindo continue to lend to businessman Eddy Tansil.

Sumarlin called this allegation "vicious slander and an evil conspiracy" against him and Oskar, concocted by the four Bapindo directors to relieve them of their responsibility for the Rp 1.3 trillion ($620 million) debacle befalling the state-owned bank.

Oskar died last year after retiring from public office. Sumarlin is now the chairman of the Supreme Audit Board.

The three other former Bapindo directors on trial are Towil Heryoto, Subekti Ismaun and Bambang Kuntjoro.

Their defense hinges largely on their ability to prove that Sumarlin put pressure on them to ignore standard banking scrutiny in their lending to Tansil, who has been sentenced to 17 years imprisonment for his role in the scam.

They said Sumarlin and Oskar overruled a decision by the bank's board of directors made early on June 2, 1992, to cut the losses in its dealing with Tansil, then still standing at only $208 million. They say this order was duly carried out by the bank.

That meeting was attended by Sjahrizal, Bambang Kuntjoro and Adi Sugondho. Sugondho, who is not on trial, is singing a different tune, while Sjahrizal and Bambang speak in unison about the existence of that meeting. Towil was on an official mission on June 2 and Subekti was on holiday.

Alibi

Towil Heryoto, during cross examination yesterday at his own trial, confirmed Sumarlin's assertion that Towil went to Washington with Oskar in June 1992 on a mission to negotiate with the World Bank. Towil however said that Oskar joined the delegation late. "I didn't see Oskar on the delegation's flight, but I did see him in Washington."

Sjahrizal, giving his testimony on Thursday at the trial of Subekti Ismaun, was confronted with Sumarlin's alibi that he flew to Irian Jaya on June 2, 1992, to join in the election campaign of the ruling political group Golkar.

Sjahrizal firmly stuck to his statement that there was such a meeting on the said date. He said he even remembered vividly what suits and the color of ties Sumarlin and Oskar were wearing that day.

Sjahrizal said he also remembered that Oskar remarked to him that Sumarlin was due to leave for Irian Jaya the following day on June 3.

Bambang, in his testimony, was asked by presiding judge Soedjatman whether he was convinced that Sjahrizal was summoned by Sumarlin and Oskar and whether or not he bothered to check on the credibility of Sjahrizal's claim.

"There are several reasons why I didn't check. First because we never had any doubt about Sjahrizal's integrity. Second, it would have been inconceivable that Sjahrizal would make up something like that, and third, we on the board of directors trust one another." (imn)