JP/4/ago

JP/4/ago

Graft probes giving CEOs, governors restless nights: AGO

The Jakarta Post
Jakarta

Intensive media coverage of the current crackdown on
corruption in state institutions has created nervousness among
many top executives of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and
regional administrations as they worry about becoming the next to
be investigated.

Attorney General Abdul Rahman Saleh said on Friday that many
of these executives had complained about the stress they were
suffering, which affected their performance at work.

"Many governors have talked to the Minister of Home Affairs
about this problem and the minister passed on their complaints to
the President," he said.

Upon hearing the news, Abdul Rahman said, the President had
ordered him not to make any hasty statements to the press that
could further upset the edgy chief executives of state banks and
state-owned enterprises, as well as governors.

"The bank directors told the President that they are now
afraid of disbursing loans" for fear that they could be faulted
if the loans turn sour in the future, he said.

Susilo has launched an unprecedented campaign to curb rampant
corruption in the country, targeting not only small-time graft
cases but also corruption cases committed by top government
officials, legislators and the CEOs of state-owned companies and
banks.

One example is the current investigation into an alleged
massive lending scam worth Rp 1 trillion (US$100 million) at the
giant state-controlled Bank Mandiri.

But Abdul Rahman urged the CEOs not to be upset with the graft
investigation, saying that if they had done nothing wrong then
they should not be afraid.

He said that the President instruction was the reason why he
had lately been refusing to publicly comment on investigations.