Freezing of Ibnu's assets demanded

Freezing of Ibnu's assets demanded

JAKARTA: The Association of Jakartans for the Eradication of
Corruption (Brantas) demanded on Sunday that the government
freeze assets belonging to well-connected businessman Ibnu
Hartomo due to his alleged involvement in the transaction of
promissory notes abroad causing trillions of rupiah in state
losses.

"The promissory notes were issued by members of former
president Soeharto's family in 1985 when Ibnu was deputy chairman
of the National Security and Defense Council (Wanhankamnas),"
Secretary-General of Brantas Doni Ardyanto said.

"The current value of the notes amounts to Rp 50 trillion
(US$4.6 billion), which includes interest," Doni said.

Ibnu Hartomo, younger brother of former Indonesian first lady
the late Tien Soeharto, has been named a suspect in the 1998
case, but to date both police and prosecutors have not brought
the case to court.

The Attorney General's Office promised on Thursday to
investigate the scandal.

The issue concerning the promissory notes resurfaced after a
member of the House of Representatives, Ali As'ad, from the
National Awakening Party (PKB), urged the Attorney General's
Office to investigate it.

Doni said that President Megawati Soekarnoputri must force the
Attorney General's Office and the police to continue
investigating the alleged involvement of Ibnu in such a large
corruption case and detain him to stop him from fleeing. --Antara