Nothing irregular in BI's Rp 7b transfer: Witnesses

Nothing irregular in BI's Rp 7b transfer: Witnesses

JAKARTA (JP): Witnesses in the trial of a man charged with
defrauding Central Bank of Rp 7 billion (US$2.9 million) said
yesterday they had not found any irregularities in a transfer
form they signed.

At the hearing at Central Jakarta District Court, a bank
employee, Sukandar, was scolded by the judges when he said he
signed the form just because there were other signatures on it.

"How could you do that...Rp 7 billion is a lot of money,"
Alboin said. Another judge said the money was drawn from public
savings.

Sukandar, who works in the Bank's testing section,
acknowledged the sum was unusual.

Sukandar was a witness in the hearing against defendant Roy
Indra Kusnohadi. The businessman is one of five charged in the
case. He is accused of helping the head of the cashier's section,
Naman Kawi, find someone with an account at the Bank to be used
as a money receiver.

Another witness, Yos, who admitted to also signing the form,
told the court he did not find any irregularities when checking
the transfer on his computer before signing it.

According to the indictment, the fake transfer was made by the
Naman Kawi.

Naman was charged of forging transfer documents in July last
year, to take advantage of a weakness in Bank Indonesia's
accounting system.

Another witness, accountant Desmidemas, told the court
there was no obligation to cross examine the cashier and the
accounting section when transfers were made.

"It would be the cashier's section who would know of
irregularities," he said.

He said he only heard of the fraud a month after the form was
signed on July 8.

The Central Bank had detected irregularities about a week
later and conducted and internal investigation. They reported
their suspicions to police in August. The person who allegedly
made the transfer, Dahlan, proved to be a fictitious character.

Naman and another businessman, defendant Andi Muis, are said
to have received a joint commission of Rp 5.95 billion which they
shared with the others involved in the scheme. Prosecutors said
Naman had abused a colleague's password to record the transfer in
the Bank's computer. (13)