Govt to issue travel ban on bad bankers

JAKARTA (JP): The government will slap travel bans on the owners and executives of 38 recently liquidated banks on Tuesday, the minister of justice said on Monday.

The travel ban will be imposed on "about 150 to 200 people tomorrow morning", Muladi announced after meeting a delegation of the International Commission of Jurists at the Ministry of Justice.

He said the Ministry of Finance was expected to file a request to impose travel bans on the owners and executives of the closed banks with the justice ministry on Tuesday.

"We will directly issue the travel ban order after receiving the request from the finance minister," Muladi said.

The government announced on March 13 the closure of 38 banks, including three owned by two sons and one daughter of former president Soeharto, in a bid to clean up the country's ailing banking sector.

A travel ban has already been imposed on Soeharto's youngest son Hutomo Mandala Putra who has been accused of involvement in a Rp 96 billion land scam.

Director General of Immigration Muhammad Mudakir said earlier this month that as of March 9, 417 people were barred from leaving the country.

He said that 175 people were barred from leaving the country at the request of the justice ministry for visa problems, 216 people at the request of the Attorney General's Office for alleged criminal offenses and seven people at the request of the military for national security reasons. (byg)