Henri Leo's assets do not add up to Rp 800b: Lawyer
Henri Leo's assets do not add up to Rp 800b: Lawyer
JAKARTA (JP): The Ministry of Defense and Security has
extended the deadline for businessman Henri Leo, the man at the
center of a Rp 410 billion (US$55.4 million) scam at military
insurer Asabri, to repay his debt, his lawyer said on Wednesday.
"In a meeting at the defense ministry today, representatives
from an audit team from Bank Negara Indonesia revealed that
Henri's assets were worth Rp 320 billion, or only 40 percent of
his own calculation of his assets," Ruhut Sitompul told The
Jakarta Post.
"BNI auditors agreed to give Henri two more weeks to pay the
remaining Rp 90 billion."
Ruhut, who was at the defense ministry to witness the
auditors' evaluation of Henri's assets, said his client earlier
calculated his assets were worth Rp 800 billion. They included a
late-model private jet worth Rp 40 billion, Mega Mall Kuningan in
South Jakarta and several apartments in Hong Kong.
Henri was told last week to immediately repay the money, which
he borrowed from Asabri in 1994 with the alleged approval of one
of its chairmen, Army Maj. Gen. (ret) Subardja.
The funds were funneled from the insurance scheme covering
about 600,000 military and police personnel nationwide. It is
based on monthly deductions from their salaries.
The money was transferred to several time deposit accounts at
BNI. It was converted into promissory notes in Henri's name
beginning in 1995 until the embezzlement was discovered recently
by a military officer at the defense ministry.
Before the investigation was transferred to the defense
ministry, police sources said that two retired Army four-star
generals were involved in the scam.
A source at the defense ministry said on Wednesday that Ruhut,
BNI auditors and Subardja's lawyer Agustinus Hutajulu were
exploring the possibility of an out-of-court settlement.
Henri found himself in more trouble on Monday after Amir
Syamsuddin, a lawyer representing another businessman Frans
Widyarta, challenged Henri's plan to include a 38-hectare plot in
West Java on the list of his assets to be surrendered to the
defense ministry.
Amir said Frans would sue Henri if the latter provided the
land.
He said Henri sought to buy the plot in Puncak Simun, Cianjur
regency, West Java, from Frans "but Henri has not completed the
payment".
Ruhut said Amir should study details of the case before making
erroneous statements.
"If he (Amir) had, he would have found that the 38-hectare
plot is nowhere on the list," Ruhut said.
"Amir does not know what he is talking about." (ylt)