No accounts or assets of terrorists in RI: Minister
No accounts or assets of terrorists in RI: Minister
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak and Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The government completed its investigation and found neither bank
accounts nor assets belonging to international terrorist groups
in Indonesia, Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza
Mahendra said on Wednesday, more than two weeks ahead of the
United Nations deadline of Dec. 28.
"After conducting a three-month investigation to determine
whether or not international terrorists have bank accounts and/or
assets in Indonesia, we would like to say that we have found none
of them," Yusril told reporters after attending a special
coordination meeting to discuss the issue on Wednesday.
The meeting was chaired by Coordinating Minister for
Political, Social and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
and was attended by, among others, National Police Chief General
Da'i Bachtiar and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Nur Hassan
Wirayuda.
Yusril's announcement came less than three months after Bank
Indonesia said that it could not open or freeze banks accounts
belonging to terrorists if it had not received instructions from
the government, via the attorney general's office.
Ironically, the announcement came on the very same day that
National Intelligence Agency Chief A.M. Hendropriyono revealed
that Osama bin Laden's terrorist group al-Qaeda was directly
involved in religious conflicts in Sulawesi and Maluku.
Yusril said the government is now preparing a report on the
results of its investigation which will be ready for submission
to the United Nations Security Council on Dec. 28.
"I guess the international community will welcome the results
(of our successful investigation)," beamed Yusril.
Following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, the United
Nations Security Council signed on Sept. 28 a resolution calling
on its members to freeze bank accounts and/or assets belonging to
international terrorists. The resolution also asked member
countries to submit the results of their investigation by Dec. 28
at the latest.
Earlier, Bank Indonesia Governor Sjahril Sabirin said that his
office could not abide by the UN resolution without official
notification from local prosecutors, police or courts as
stipulated in prevailing domestic laws.
The government wanted to bypass such legal requirements by
issuing a special decree, but opted to draft an antiterrorism
bill instead. The bill is expected to be submitted to the House
of Representatives for deliberation later this month.
Asked how the government had carried out the investigation in
the absence of an actual legal principle, Yusril refused to
comment.
Meanwhile, Da'i confirmed on Wednesday that the police had
investigated Bank Indonesia. He, however, refused to disclose the
details of the probe.
On Tuesday, Director General for Public Law Romli Atmasasmita,
at the ministry of justice and human rights, said that the
government had received a list of suspected funding sources in
the country linked to international terrorist groups.
He added that the government had not yet examined the data
from the list.