Bapindo chiefs refute Sumarlin's testimony

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)