Five suspects questioned in Mandiri embezzlement case
Five suspects questioned in Mandiri embezzlement case
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Police have named five people as suspects in the alleged
misappropriation of negotiable certificates of deposit (NCDs)
worth Rp 50 billion (US$6 million) at the country's largest state
bank Mandiri.
One of the suspects, who allegedly misappropriated the deposit
belonging to the Association of Indonesian Forest Concession
Holders (APHI), was a former senior official of the bank.
"We have been grilled some of them as suspects in the case,
but one of them passed away in April," Jakarta Police spokesman
Sr. Comr. Prasetyo said on Wednesday.
Prasetyo said the suspects were Gatot Cahyanto, a former head
of Bank Mandiri's Panglima Polim branch, South Jakarta, Rahardian
Tarekat, director of PT Jasa Ganda Barta (JGB), the late Yulianus
Indrayana, JGB's deputy director, Ismael Syaefuddin, JGB's
marketing officer, and Kuncoro Haryomukti a JGB staff member who
was still at large.
Gatot, the main suspect in the case, is currently in Cipinang
penitentiary as he is also standing trial at the South Jakarta
District Court in a similar case, the officer said.
He said police had detained the other three suspects for two
weeks, but their detention was suspended recently.
According to Prasetyo, the suspects violated Banking Law No.
10, 1998, article 49 on prudential banking principles.
"If convicted, they could face between three and eight years
in prison, or a fine of between Rp 5 billion and Rp 100 billion,"
said Prasetyo.
To date, Prasetyo said, police had interrogated 10 witnesses
over the case.
The misappropriation was reported to the police by APHI
chairman Adiwarsita Adinegoro on Feb. 18, 2003.
Adiwarsita said earlier that his association had purchased 10
NCDs valued at Rp 50 billion at the Mandiri branch in Panglima
Polim, South Jakarta in February. However, when APHI wished to
withdraw the money, the bank said that the NCDs had been used as
collateral by JGB.
The National Police Central Forensic Laboratory reportedly
said that there had been a forgery of the signatures of APHI
chairman and treasurer Zain Mansyur in the documents submitted by
JGB to the bank.
Adiwarsita blasted the bank for its negligence in verifying
the documents with APHI as the rightful owner of the NCDs.
Adiwarsita said the money was needed by his association to
finance operational costs.
APHI has 366 forest concession holders as members.
Mandiri's president director ECW, Neloe said earlier that the
case would not affect the state-owned bank which is selling its
shares at the Jakarta Stock Exchange.