No need to summon Gen. Tyasno: Prosecutor

No need to summon Gen. Tyasno: Prosecutor

JAKARTA (JP): Prosecutor Soejitno rejected on Tuesday a
proposal to summon Army chief Gen. Tyasno Sudarto to testify as a
witness in a Rp 19.2 billion (US$2.1 million) counterfeit money
case at the Central Jakarta District Court.

"We have evidence, such as the printing press and over Rp 1
billion in fake money. We also have 10 suspects. What more does
one need?" Soejitno told reporters at the district court
following a hearing of the case, which is being presided over by
judge Rasadi Salmun.

"But if we run short of evidence or the court begins to doubt
the testimonies of witnesses or suspects, I might call Pak Tyasno
(to testify as a witness). Anything is possible."

Last Tuesday, a defendant in the case, Ismail Putra, alleged
in a hearing that the money was produced with the full knowledge
of Tyasno, who was chief of the Indonesian Military Intelligence
Body (BIA) from January 1999 through Nov. 20, 1999.

"Pak Darto knew very well that the fake money was produced in
the interests of the Indonesian Military (TNI) and (to settle)
problems in East Timor," Ismail, a retired Army major, told the
hearing, then presided over by judge Purwanto.

"He sanctioned the process. The (former) BIA chief also
visited (defendant) Yustinus Kasminto's house in Palmerah, West
Jakarta, where the printing was done."

Prosecutors say the production of Rp 19.2 billion of fake
notes occurred between last July and this February.

Prosecutor Soejitno named the defendants along with their
roles as Yustinus Kasminto; bookkeeper Junie; A Khui, alias Ardy
Sukarman; group leader Ismail Putra; security coordinator Eddy
Kereh; technician in charge of printing Ramelan; Bambang; machine
operators Triyono and Slamet and housemaid Tono.

The suspects were arrested at printing company Jaya Abadi
Prima on Jl. Palmerah Barat No. 141, West Jakarta, between
February and March this year.

On Tuesday, Iwan, a cousin of defendant Junie who is
representing her in court, told The Jakarta Post that Junie had
been terrorized by the other defendants into working for them.

"She was terrorized and told that terrible things would happen
to her and her family if she opened her mouth. Initially, she
knew nothing of the case," Iwan said.

"When she did learn of the fake money business, she could not
even go to the toilet without being followed by Tono (defendant).
She was already trapped, and was terrorized and forced to
continue working for the other defendants."

Soejitno said in the previous hearing that the forged Rp
50,000 banknotes made by the defendants were copies of the 1995
edition that carried the likeness of former president Soeharto.

The defendants, he said, destroyed Rp 15.8 billion of the fake
rupiah after they learned it was of poor quality.

The remaining Rp 3.4 billion was found with two men, he said.

"The first Rp 1.6 billion was found in the possession of
defendant A Khui, currently receiving medical treatment for
kidney failure at Mediros Hospital in Pulogadung, East Jakarta.
The other Rp 1.8 billion was with a man, identified as Tyasno
Sudarto, who is still at large," Soejitno said.

The group, he said, printed the bogus money with six serial
number prefixes, namely FRM, LZN, LZO, RPM, TWR and YBD.

Separately in Medan, Gen. Tyasno Sudarto firmly denied all
allegations of his involvement in the case.

"I'm sure that whatever was said was all lies," Tyasno told
reporters at the installation ceremony of Maj. Gen. I Gede
Purnawa as the new Bukit Barisan Regional Military commander,
overseeing Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatra and Riau. Purnawa
replaced Maj. Gen. Affandi.

Tyasno said it was a conspiracy to discredit him and the TNI
as an institution.

"Such things have become so frequent now in our society and it
is a sign of a demoralized society. Let us all take this maturely
and not get caught up in nasty rumors and issues," he said as
quoted by Antara. (ylt)