Greek businessman's accusation denied
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)