House to qrill BI over legal aid to its employees

House to qrill BI over legal aid to its employees

JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives' Commission IX on
banking and finance will question Bank Indonesia on Tuesday about
its recent ruling providing legal protection to its employees.

Legislator Paskah Suzeta of the Golkar party, a member of the
commission, said on Monday the protection given by the central
bank to its current and former employees was "excessive".

"From Bank Indonesia's point of view, it may be all right. But
from other people's, it seems excessive. And we will ask Bank
Indonesia about that tomorrow (Tuesday)," Paskah said.

He said the House would make sure that Bank Indonesia's policy
of protecting its employees was in-line with prevailing
regulations.

Bank Indonesia governor Sjahril Sabirin issued a ruling on
Jan. 21, 2000 that provided legal protection to employees or
former employees in official investigations or prosecutions as a
result of their status as BI employees.

The legal protection the central bank promised its employees
and former employees covers legal aid; access to bank data;
assistance in bailing them out from jail; physical protection
from possible intimidation; rehabilitation of their rights; and
financial assistance during investigation processes.

BI legal director Sis Abadi said the bank had legally
protected its employees and former employees for some time
already, but it was only in January that the ruling was made.

"The timing may be not right, but the ruling itself, to give
legal assistance to employees, is very common everywhere. Every
institution, if capable, should protect its employees both
legally and physically," Sis said.

He said BI had long allocated a certain amount of money in its
annual budget to provide legal assistance to its employees and
former employees.

But he reiterated that legal assistance was only given to
employees who performed their duties according to the central
bank's guidelines. Those who violated the central bank's own
procedures would not get such assistance.

Banking analyst and former BI director I Nyoman Moena
supported the central bank, saying that granting legal assistance
of this kind was a common practice in institutions capable of
doing so and should not spark unnecessary controversy.

"Just look at the legal assistance given by the TNI (the Armed
Forces) to Pak Wiranto and other generals in the East Timor case.
How much money does TNI have to pay those lawyers to defend Pak
Wiranto?" Moena said.

A team of noted lawyers, led by former justice minister
Muladi, is defending Coordinating Minister for Security and
Political Affairs Gen. Wiranto and several other generals
implicated in postballot violence in East Timor last year. It is
not clear, however, whether it is the TNI or the generals
themselves who are paying the lawyers.

Moena said legal protection to employees, officials or
officers granted by their institutions should be commended,
instead of criticized, because it showed that the institutions
cared about their employees and the upholding of law and justice.

He said the granting of legal protection to its employees by
BI was especially timely now as it was facing criticism and
allegations that "all BI employees are robbers".

Legal protection of this kind from BI would encourage its
employees to work normally, heed all regulations and not bow to
outside pressure. In the end, it would help to uphold the central
bank's independency, Moena said. (rid)