Key graft suspect on trip overseas despite travel ban

Eva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A key suspect in the alleged graft case at state-owned social security firm PT Jamsostek has gone overseas despite being slapped with a travel ban.

Ahmad Djunaidi, former president director at the firm, failed to turn up for questioning on Thursday at the National Police Headquarters.

National Police anticorruption director Brig. Gen. Indarto, who is also deputy chairman of the interdepartmental anticorruption team, said that Djunaidi went on the minor pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

"He left on Tuesday night (July 5) even though we issued a travel ban on Monday," Indarto told The Jakarta Post.

Djunaidi was declared a suspect last week. He also failed to show up for questioning scheduled for Tuesday.

Djunaidi has been implicated in the misuse of Rp 250 billion (US$26.3 million) of funds belong to the company, which manages the pension funds of millions of workers.

Indarto, however, played down concern that Djunaidi might not return to the country, saying the police had tracked down the travel agency that had made the travel arrangements for the suspect.

A number of high-profile corruption suspects escaped justice in the past after receiving permission to seek medical treatment abroad and later failing to return.

Indarto said that his office would investigate personnel at the immigration office to find out why the suspect could leave the country despite the travel ban issued by the Attorney General's Office (AGO).

Meanwhile, AGO spokesman RJ Soehandojo said that Attorney General Abdul Rahman Saleh deplored Djunaidi's overseas trip.

"The attorney general quickly told intelligence officers to coordinate with immigration personnel in investigating Djunaidi's whereabouts," Soehandojo said.

He added that the attorney general was surprised at how a person could escape detection at an immigration checkpoint after a travel ban had been issued.

Directorate General of Immigration spokesman Supriatna Anwar said his office had received a travel ban notification on July 4 and immediately disseminated the information to checkpoints all over the country.

"We will investigate whether this is a human error or if there is another problem. If immigration officials ignored the travel ban, we'll take legal measures against them," Supriatna said.

Djunaidi and a former investment director at the company, Andi Alamsyah, are suspected of causing losses to the state through their investment decisions, including the purchase of Rp 100 billion worth of bonds from the now defunct Bank Global, Rp 105.5 billion in bonds from a company identified as PT SIP and the provision of a Rp 49.2 billion loan to a company identified as PT V, which was deemed a folly.

They will be charged under Anticorruption Law No. 31/1999, which carries a maximum penalty of life.

The alleged scam at Jamsostek is one of five graft cases in government institutions and state enterprises currently being investigated by the interdepartmental anticorruption team. The other cases involve state oil and gas company Pertamina, state telecommunications firm PT Telkom, state electricity company PLN and the Ministry of Religious Affairs.