Pande was absent in meetings of Bank Bali
Pande was absent in meetings of Bank Bali
JAKARTA (JP): Defendant Pande Lubis told a hearing on Monday
that he was out of town when important meetings were held last
year with regard to the disbursement of Rp 904 billion (US$103.9
million) to recoup Bank Bali's interbank loans from defunct bank
BDNI.
The former deputy chairman of the Indonesian Bank
Restructuring Agency (IBRA) was questioned in the hearing,
presided over by judge I Gde Putra Yadnya, on his alleged role in
the Rp 546 billion Bank Bali scandal.
"I was present in the first meeting between top officials of
IBRA, the central bank and the Ministry of Finance. In the
meetings held between May 23 and May 28, 1999 I was out of town,"
Pande told the hearing.
"I only knew of those meetings upon my return to Jakarta on
June 1 from Indra Rahtiko Sunyoto and Toto Budiarso of IBRA's
liabilities division."
Pande said the meetings, initiated by the Ministry of Finance,
focused on the of settling of interbank loans and IBRA's
recapitalization program.
Pande told the hearing that during the May 22 board meeting
which he attended, those present wanted all interbank loans to be
settled by May 28, 1999.
"I told them it would be very difficult, since even in the
case of Bank Bali, the Ministry of Finance had not issued any
kind of official decision," Pande told the hearing.
"On May 23, I went abroad. I was told by my friends at the
liabilities division later that from that day to May 28, meetings
on the matter had been held everyday."
He added that on June 1, he was given two letters signed by
IBRA's deputy director Farid Hariyanto, one of which was on Bank
Bali's interbank loans.
"I had nothing to do with those letters. They were signed by
Farid and given to me. I was told to deliver them to the central
bank. Farid approved it," Pande said.
Judge Yadnya adjourned the hearing till Wednesday.
Three private banks -- Bank BDNI, Bank Tiara and Bank Umum
Nasional -- failed to repay a total of Rp 904 billion to Bank
Bali, a debt which remained unpaid until the three were
liquidated by the central bank in late 1998 due to poor financial
records.
Bank Bali then asked the government for a loan disbursement as
it had been put under a restructuring program.
Following the signing of the January 1999 cessie contract
between the bank and factoring firm PT Era Giat Prima (EGP), Bank
Bali paid Rp 546 billion to PT EGP as commission to help recoup
the funds.
Several witnesses in initial hearings noted that PT EGP should
never have taken over Bank Bali's interbank loans since they were
guaranteed by the government under the restructuring program.
On Aug. 28 the South Jakarta District Court exonerated
director of PT EGP Djoko S. Tjandra of all charges in the scandal
in light of a legal technicality and prosecutor Antasari Azhar's
failure to back his case with witnesses.
Antasari has filed an appeal with the Supreme Court. (ylt)