PAN chief in hot water over loan

PAN chief in hot water over loan

BANDUNG: Businessman and National Mandate Party (PAN) leader
Soetrisno Bachir admitted on Sunday he had taken over a bank loan
for PT Chirza Putra worth Rp 178 billion (US$18.7 million), which
his rival politicians said was a bad debt.

The issue of the non-performing loan from the now-defunct Bank
Dagang Negara (BDN) was brought up by his rivals as a reason to
call for an extraordinary PAN congress to replace Sutrisno.

Sutrisno said he took over the loan for the company, which was
owned by his elder brother, Kamaluddin Bachir, because the latter
died in 2002.

However, he did not say whether the loan was a still bad debt
or not with Bank Mandiri, which took over BDN's assets.

Sutrisno claimed that PAN's dissenting members who demanded
the extraordinary congress have regrouped again into his camp.
--Antara