Businessman tried in Bank Arta Prima case

JAKARTA (JP): Businessman Kim Johanes Mulia was indicted at the East Jakarta District Court yesterday on charges of advising a bank's owner to forge promissory notes worth Rp 150 billion (US$37.5 million).

Prosecutor Sugiyanto said that Kim, the president of PT Detta Marina in East Jakarta, had suggested to Bank Arta Prima owner, Made Oka Masagung, that the latter forge the promissory notes from January to July 1995.

Sugiyanto said that in their operation Kim and Masagung set up a company named PT Jagata Prima to take over the bank and the debts of the bank's holding company Gunung Agung Group worth Rp 174 billion.

Kim ordered that the group's debts be converted into promissory notes, which were endorsed by the bank, he said.

By issuing the notes, Kim hoped that other investors would cancel their plans to take over the bank, he said.

Sugiyanto said some of the endorsed Rp 150 billion notes were used by the defendant to pay off the PT Detta Marina debts to Bank Pembangunan Indonesia (Bapindo).

But when Bapindo tried to withdraw the promissory notes, Bank Arta Prima refused on the grounds that the bank had no funds, he said.

One of the promissory notes, worth Rp 9 billion, was invested in a company owned by businessman Surya Paloh, he said.

Sugiyanto said former executives of the bank, identified as Chalid Aini, Marcel Maulana and Husni Ali Thoyib and an executive of Gunung Agung Group, Henricus Hardana Halim, were involved in the forgery.

Masagung, Chalid, Marcel Maulana, and Husni will be tried separately while Henricus is being tried in the Central Jakarta District Court.

Sugiyanto charged Kim under Article 264 of the Criminal Code which carries a maximum punishment of eight years in jail.

Presiding judge M. Thoyib adjourned the trial until next week to hear the defendant's lawyer Adnan Buyung Nasution's statements. (jun)