IBRA leaves unfinished business behind

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.