Bapindo staffers blame Subekti in loan scandal

JAKARTA (JP): Two middle management executives of Bank Pembangunan Indonesia (Bapindo) blamed their former boss Subekti Ismaun for the Rp 1.3 million ($620 million) loan scandal at the government bank.

Both M. Apip Sjahbudin and Godjali, in separate testimonies at the South Jakarta District Court yesterday, said that as far as they were concerned Subekti gave the approval for the bank to give the loans to Eddy Tansil, the owner of the Golden Key Group.

Subekti is being tried on corruption charges for helping Tansil swindle some $448 million from Bapindo between 1989 and 1993.

"The Golden Key Group's proposal to finance the PT Graha Swakarsa Prima project came with a letter of disposition from Subekti," Apip told the court.

Apip, who headed Bapindo's project evaluation team for the loan, said Subekti in his letter described the project as feasible. He recalled that a letter of reference from Sudomo, then the coordinating minister for political affairs and security, was also attached to the proposal.

"I considered Subekti's letter as an order from a superior, which had to be executed," he said.

Godjali, who as a staffer at the bank's Jakarta branch prepared the document approving the opening of the letter of credit facility for the Golden Key Group, testified that he had acted based on a telex message from the head office.

He also believed that the telex carried strong weight because it originated at the head office.

He said he also received a similar order from Maman Suparman, the branch's deputy manager, but that the telex was the more telling factor in opening the letter of credit.

Crucial

Subekti, 55, who retired from the bank last year, had testified previously that Sudomo's letter of reference was crucial in prompting him and other members of the bank's board of directors to approve the loans to Tansil without subjecting the applicant to standard scrutiny.

Subekti has also blamed Maman for allowing Tansil to cash in on the loans almost at will through the conversion of the terms of the letters of credit facility.

Tansil has already been convicted for his role in the scandal, sentenced to 17 years in jail and ordered to repay Rp 500 billion ($238 million) in restitution. Maman is serving a nine-year jail term for his role.

Besides Subekti, three other former directors are also on trial in connection with the loan scandal. They are Towil Heryoto, Sjahrizal and Bambang Kuntjoro.

All four were held accountable individually and collectively for allowing the debacle to take place.

Meanwhile, prosecutors in the trials of Sjahrizal and Bambang yesterday urged the Central Jakarta District Court to proceed with the trial and ignore pleas by their lawyers to throw away the case.

Ridwan Moekiat, who is prosecuting Sjahrizal, and S.T. Silangit who is prosecuting Bambang, said they have a valid case against the two defendants.

Lawyers representing Sjahrizal and Bambang on Monday pleaded with the court to acquit their clients saying that the government has already convicted the main culprits. (02)