Kim to be charged with falsifying export documents
Kim to be charged with falsifying export documents
JAKARTA (JP): Government prosecutors have come a step closer to unraveling the bogus exports scandal involving textile tycoon Kim Johannes Mulia, government officials and bankers.
Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes A. Soetomo said yesterday that Kim, owner of PT Detta Marina garment exporting company, would be charged next month with masterminding the falsification of export documents.
"We are still investigating Kim Johannes Mulia and hopefully the matter will come before a court next month," he told reporters.
According to Attorney General Singgih, who recently leaked results of preliminary investigations to the press, Kim had admitted to falsifying the export documents as a means of loans from the state-owned Bank Pembangunan Indonesia (Bapindo).
The export document stated that Kim's company had shipped garments to Singapore. In fact, such shipment had never occurred, Singgih said.
He said there were a total of 12 forged documents certifying shipments of Kim's garments from the Jakarta port of Tanjung Priok to Singapore.
Kim, according to Singgih, also told investigators that he used the bank credit to improve the performance of his Bogor- based PT Detta Marina. Kim has repaid the government a total of Rp 16 billion ($7.3 million), the export values as stated in the documents.
Declined
Soetomo, however, declined to specify how much money the state had lost as a result of the scheme, saying that it would be revealed in the trials.
He said that his office has established a team of investigators to unravel the scandal. The team includes M.Y. Anas, Lukman Bachmid, Mohammad Yamin, Yonas Kale Saran and Zainuddin Nare.
Soetomo said that the government investigators had not put Kim in detention, saying that Kim could come to the Attorney General's Office every day for the investigation.
Acting spokesman for the Attorney General's Office Chairul Imam said that the criminal code procedure (KUHAP) did not make it compulsory for authorities to put a suspect under arrest.
"KUHAP only states that a suspect can be arrested," Chairul said.
Soetomo said that government prosecutors have not determined the status of other entrepreneurs currently being investigated in connection with the scandal.
In an unrelated case, two other businessmen, Abauw alias Ganda and Jenner Yusman, are currently being questioned also on suspicion of falsifying export documents.
The government has slapped an overseas travel ban on Kim, as well as on Abauw and Jenner.
The issue of bogus export documents first arose in the middle of last year with the allegation that Kim had collaborated with government and bank officials to obtain falsified documents. (imn)