No idea where Tansil could be: Government

JAKARTA (JP): The government admitted yesterday it has no idea where Eddy Tansil, the business tycoon who escaped from prison more than one month ago, has gone.

"We are continuing to hunt him but there is no clue to his whereabouts," Minister of Justice Oetojo Oesman told Commission III of the House of Representatives in a hearing on legal affairs.

Tansil's escape dominated the hearing. He was jailed in 1994 for defrauding the state-owned Bank Pembangunan Indonesia (Bapindo) of US$620 million.

Tansil, who was serving a 20-year prison term walked out of Cipinang prison after allegedly bribing warders on May 4.

All of the 18 commission members who had questions and comments for the minister raised the prison escape issue, which they said was unbearably embarrassing for Indonesian law enforcers.

They asked about the latest developments in the government's efforts to recapture the tycoon, as well as the alleged involvement of government officials in Tansil's escape.

Oetojo said the government has recouped only Rp 100 million ($42,500) of the about 450 million which Tansil was to return.

"Eddy Tansil's wealth can be seized any time, if the authorities know he has property left in Indonesia," Oetojo said.

Legislator Andjojo Putro said that Eddy's escape was a disgrace to the justice system in Indonesia. He alleged that Eddy's escape was made possible by the help of officials.

"The moral of the Tansil escape story is to not fire honest judges, just fire the bad ones," he said.

Oetojo said he had no evidence of the involvement of government officials. He speculated that Tansil might have used a fake passport. (01)