IBRA blamed for slow bank crime handling

IBRA blamed for slow bank crime handling

JAKARTA (JP): The National Police on Thursday faulted Bank
Indonesia and the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA) for
the slow progress in the handling of banking crimes.

The National Police's special crimes director Brig. Gen. Made
Mangku Pastika said the police had received banking crime cases
on 36 banks from the central bank, but had not sent all of them
to court as some of them still lacked evidence.

He added that BI and IBRA had been slow responding to Police
requests for witnesses and documents to complete the dossiers on
the 36 banks.

"We are facing serious difficulties in getting documents and
witnesses from BI. BI's banking supervisors and auditors of the
concerned banks are delaying our investigation process," Made
told reporters.

Made made the statement in response to Bank Indonesia senior
deputy governor Anwar Nasution's allegation that the police were
"sleeping" and not pursuing investigation of the banking crimes
already filed by the central bank.

Anwar said on Wednesday: "We keep asking why cases on rotten
banks that robbed state monies have not been pursued. We've never
received a satisfactory explanation."

Made said Anwar must not be too quick in faulting the police
as it was the central bank and IBRA which had slowed the
investigation progress.

The police involved IBRA in the investigation against banking
crimes because it handles the assets of the 36 banks -- mostly
closed down banks.

Made said "the police were not sleeping" as they had already
processed banking crimes dossiers committed by executives of 15
commercial banks.

Made reported that executives and owners of three banks --
Bank Dwipa, Bank Citra and Bank Umum Majapahit -- had been
convicted by the court.

He said the Police had submitted dossiers on the executives of
nine other banks to the court. The nine banks are Bank Harapan
Santosa, Bank Pacific, Bank Kosagraha, Bank Astria, Bank Jakarta,
Bank Andromeda, Bank Pinaesaan, Bank Anrico and Sejahtera Bank
Umum.

In addition, Made said, the police were completing dossiers of
three other banks. They are Bank Seab, Bank Mataram and Bank
Industri.

Made acknowledged, however, that the police stopped
investigations against executives of Bank Guna International,
formerly owned by fugitive Hendra Rahardja, due to lack of
evidence. (ylt)