Cabinet preparing decree to freeze terrorist assets

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak and Tiarma Siboro The Jakarta Post Jakarta

The government appears set to issue a presidential decree on antiterrorism to enable it to access bank accounts of individuals or groups believed to have links with international terrorists.

Minister of Communications and Information Syamsul Mu'arif stated after attending a coordination meeting of political and security ministers that intelligence officers were now preparing to look into several suspicious bank accounts.

"Our intelligence people are launching an investigation of several bank accounts which allegedly have links with terrorists and soon we (the government) will issue the antiterrorism decree.

"Issuing the decree is necessary so that we will not violate the banking law," he said.

Syamsul said he could not reveal the exact date that the decree would be issued.

He explained that the directive would be a temporary measure while Indonesia officially creates an antiterrorism law.

The government is currently debating whether to ratify United Nations Security Council Resolution No. 1373 on the suppression of the financing of terrorism or to write a new antiterrorism bill.

The UN Security Council issued the resolution following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the U.S.

Following the resolution, the U.S. government called on its allies, including Indonesia, to cut off funding sources from terrorist groups.

The U.S. government also distributed a list of 26 terrorist- related organizations to all allied countries. That list includes Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network, the Abu Sayyaf group in the Philippines and the Salafist Group in Algeria.

Some Western media reported earlier that a number of Indonesian groups with apparent links to al-Qaeda had been identified.

However, Bank Indonesia said that it could not freeze bank accounts without official notification from prosecutors, police or the courts.

The central bank argued that bank law No. 10/1998 did not allow for the freezing of any accounts unless the owner is officially a suspect or proven guilty in a criminal case.

Meanwhile, Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra said his office preferred to draft an Indonesian antiterrorism bill rather than endorsing the recent U.N Security Council resolution.

Yusril said his office had begun working on such a bill, but will not complete it until December at the earliest.

He also added that during a trip to the U.S., he convinced leaders there of Indonesia's strong commitment to fighting terrorism, including cutting off financial sources.

In return, Yusril said, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation will assist Indonesian authorities in tracing tainted money held in overseas banks.

Yusril also said that the government and the House of Representatives would expedite the deliberation of a money laundering bill, as required by Indonesia's donors.

Yusril acknowledged that a delay in the passage of the money laundering bill could become a barrier for further loans to Indonesia from donors grouped together in the Consultative Group on Indonesia (CGI).

Members of CGI are slated to convene a meeting in Jakarta on Nov. 7 and 8 to determine the amount of money they will lend to the government for next year's budget.