Former BI governor Mooy questioned over graft case

JAKARTA (JP): Former Bank Indonesia (BI) governor Adrianus Mooy testified at the Attorney General's Office on Monday over a Rp 1.1 trillion (US$91.67 million) graft case in state-owned investment company PT Bahana Pembinaan Usaha Indonesia (BPUI).

Attorney General's Office spokesman Muljohardjo said the questioning centered on the takeover of timber company PT Barito Pacific's debt by BPUI.

An investigation by the Attorney General's Office revealed that BPUI had allegedly embezzled some Rp 1.1 trillion when it recovered the debt of publicly listed timber company PT Barito Pacific in exchange for shares.

"The debt was Rp 1.7 trillion but BPUI only paid Barito some Rp 628 billion," Muljohardjo told reporters.

The suspects in the case are former minister of finance Ali Wardhana and former BPUI president director Sudjiono Tiran.

Mooy served his term at BI, which held 80 percent of BPUI's shares, between 1988 and 1993.

Prosecutors, Muljohardjo said, also questioned Mooy over his role in the signing of an agreement between BPUI and insurance company PT Investa Arga (AIA).

According to Muljohardjo, prosecutors wanted to seek information on the background of the agreement, how the process was conducted between shareholders, and AIA's option rights in buying 70 percent of BI's shares in BPUI as stipulated in the agreement.

Last year, Mooy also testified in a loan scandal which allegedly caused the central bank some US$1 billion in losses.

Also testifying on Monday were former minister of finance Bambang Subianto and former president director of state oil and gas company Pertamina Faisal Abda'oe.

Bambang, a finance minister between 1998 to 1999, testified over BI's case, particularly on his role as the head of state banks' credit supervision at that time, which monitored credit port folio and credit channeling. (hdn)