Fourth Bapindo director faces trial

JAKARTA (JP): The Central Jakarta District Court yesterday received the dossier of Bambang Kuntjoro, the fourth director of Bapindo, in connection with the Rp 1.3 trillion ($620 million) scandal at the government-owned bank.

The court has not yet set the date of the hearing.

The trial of another former Bapindo director Sjahrizal, whose dossier was turned over to the same court on Tuesday, will start on Aug.23.

Two other former directors, Towil Heryoto and Subekti Ismaun, are already on trial at the South Jakarta District Court.

Eddy Tansil, the businessman at the center of the scandal, will hear the court's verdict on Monday. Maman Suparman, former deputy manager of Bapindo's Jakarta branch, was sentenced last month by the South Jakarta District court to nine years in jail.

Bambang's trial will line up some 45 witnesses, including former finance minister J.B. Sumarlin and former junior finance minister Nasrudin Sumintapura. Sumarlin is now the chairman of Supreme Audit Board, while Nasrudin is now a member of the Supreme Advisory Council.

Like the other three former directors, Bambang will be charged with the 1971 anti-corruption law which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Heading the government's prosecution team will be S.T. Silangit, while Bambang has appointed Hotma Sitompul of the leading Hotma Sitompul law firm to defend him.

Sjahrizal has appointed two noted lawyers, Harjono Tjitrosoebono and Mohammad Assegaf, to defend him in court. As the bank's director in 1992, he testified at previous hearings that Sumarlin had put pressure on him and the other directors to make good on Tansil's loan. (mds/05)