IBRA leaves unfinished business behind

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The remaining skeleton staff of the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA) has left behind some cases it was supposed to wrap up after the agency's closure late last month, although it managed to exceed its target for this year's state budget.

The leftover cases include the postponed liquidation of two banks of 52 it was supposed to dissolve, and the cases of eight former bank owners who have still not fulfilled their obligations to the state.

"The agency had already met its target of Rp 5 trillion when it closed on Feb. 27," IBRA chief Syafruddin A. Temenggung said on Friday, during the official disbanding of the skeleton staff. "It will now hand over another Rp 5.5 trillion, making a total of Rp 10.5 trillion the agency has handed over to the government to help finance the state budget."

Syafruddin also said that the agency had managed to obtain some Rp 31.78 trillion from the 50 banks it dissolved under its control. There are still two banks, however, that the agency failed to dissolve: Bank Ratu and Bank Prasidha.

Concerning its task of settling the remaining cases of 40 ex- bank owners owing debts to the state, Syafruddin explained that IBRA has managed to settle the cases of 32, including 24 it declared debt-free. Eight ex-bank owners, however, have remained noncooperative.

"Their cases will therefore be prosecuted by the government through civil lawsuits, as IBRA will no longer exist to handle their cases," he said.

Syafruddin added that three ex-bank owners will soon be prosecuted as their cases have been processed by the police.

"They are the former bank owners of Bank Lautan Berlian, Bank Namura Internusa and Bank Tamara," he said.