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)