BI officer testifies in fraud trial
BI officer testifies in fraud trial
JAKARTA (JP): A witness in the Rp 7 billion (US$2.9 million)
Bank Indonesia fraud trial told the court yesterday that password
exchange was common in the Bank's treasury department's cashiers'
section.
Ayub Sutarya, who worked in the data entry division, was
explaining, to the Central Jakarta District Court, why he had
given his password to the defendant.
Naman Kawi, the now ex-head of the cashiers' section, and Andi
Muis, a businessman, are on trial for defrauding the central
bank.
Ayub, 55, is being tried in a separate hearing. He said Naman
asked him for his password.
Naman is accused of forging transfer documents on July 8, and
entering false data using Sutarya's password.
Andi is accused of helping Naman find someone with an account
at the central bank to receive the fake transfer.
Presiding judge A Gatam Taridi asked Sutarya if he knew a
password was a secret. He said he knew but because it was common
practice, he gave Naman the password without asking him why he
wanted it.
"Exchanging passwords was common among the data entry
employees in the cashier's section," Sutarya said.
Sutarya's testimony contradicted an earlier testimony of
another Bank Indonesia's employee.
This witness, St. Soeparno, had claimed that Sutarya had
entered the false data on his (Soeparno's) computer.
Yesterday Sutarya maintained his earlier claim that Naman had
given him a lot of money a few days the password exchange. He
said he got Rp 230 million. Earlier he had said it was Rp 250
million.
Sutarya said he thought it was odd when Naman gave him the
money at a gas station on Jl. Penggilingan, East Jakarta.
"I asked him why he was giving it to me. He said, just take
it, there's nothing wrong with it. So I took it," he said.
He said he realized later the money was related to the fraud.
The central bank found irregularities a month after the fraud.
They started an internal investigation and reported it to the
police.
The trial was adjourned until next Wednesday. (13)