Greek businessman's accusation denied
JAKARTA (JP): Businessman R. Adji Asmoro Suryodipuro denied yesterday that he was arraigned at the South Jakarta District Court on Sept. 28, as reported in a news story entitled Greek shipping tycoon sues local businessman for fraud in the Sept.30 edition of The Jakarta Post.
Suryodipuro said that a Sept. 28 court session was adjourned until Oct. 13 because one of the judges handling the case was sick.
"I think the story printed was based entirely on Public Prosecutor Uri Hasan Basri's March 9, 1994 letter of indictment," Suryodipuro said.
Suryodipuro added that he never gave any false information to George Argyroudis about Pertamina's plans to sell ships because he was not involved in the shipping business.
"Argyroudis did not need my assistance at all because he had been engaged in the shipping business in Indonesia for about 10 years. Even several months before the inquiry and offer from Argyroudis, I rejected a similar offer from a Singaporean company and did not accept the funds attached to the offer, as proven by the records at the Bank Dagang Negara in Jakarta," Suryodipuro said.
The public prosecutor accused Suryodipuro of defrauding Argyroudis, the owner of Okeannis Shipping Ltd, of US$1 million by giving false information.
According to Suryodipuro, the president of PT Celphone Nusantara, Argyroudis in 1990 presented him with a photocopied list of 18 ships, supposedly signed by the president of Pertamina and the minister of mines and energy on March 11, 1987, which he claimed were for sale.
"It was Argyroudis' lawyers in London who drafted the contract, including the US$1 million fund, and asked for my assistance," Suryodipuro said.
He said that he notified Argyroudis, through a letter dated Feb. 26, 1991, that Pertamina had no plans to sell ships as claimed on the basis of the photocopied list Argyroudis held. On Feb. 24, 1992, one year later, the Pertamina director for shipping and ports confirmed to Argyroudis that as of that date not a single ship of Pertamina would be sold. (has)