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.