Panin Bank debt collectors to face trial

JAKARTA (JP): The case of two debt collectors suspected of involvement in the recent kidnaping and beating of a businessman will be brought to court soon, police sources said Saturday.

A reliable source told The Jakarta Post that the police need testimony from a key witness, identified as Lt. Col. Alfon from the Economic Crime Investigation Directorate.

"We have no idea why he has not been summoned for questioning although he is believed to know much and have seen many things at the incident. His testimony could help us handle the case more quickly," the source said.

Refusing to identify the two, the police source said that the suspects were strongly believed to have kidnapped and beaten businessman Sulaiman Iskandar Ramli, better known as Han Seng, at his house here on May 12 over a loan the businessman borrowed from Panin Bank in 1990.

Along with more than 15 other hired debt collectors, the two came to the house to ask Han Seng to pay back the disputed loan worth Rp 3.6 billion (US$1.6 million).

According to the source, Han Seng had been wanted for months by the bank, which then hired someone to collect from the businessman.

The man later asked Alfon and his people to help find the debtor, the source said.

"But, this group found that Han Seng was an untrustworthy man even though they had met him several times," he said.

According to Han Seng, on May 12, a group of about 20 people came to his house at around 11 p.m. and proceeded to hit and kick him. He said the men then dragged him to a van where Alfon was waiting.

"Our preliminary investigation found that the two asked why Han Seng refused to come to meet Panin Bank executives to solve the disputed loan. Then they punched his head after he gave unfriendly responses," the source said.

"Alfon came to the scene after being informed by these men that Han Seng was bleeding," he added.

Han Seng claimed that the men continued to abuse him in the parking area of the Satria Mandala military museum on Jl. Gatot Subroto, South Jakarta. He said that the men had warned him not to report the incident to the police.

Several days after the incident, Han Seng, through his lawyer Bambang Hartono, reported the case to city detectives, who later questioned a number of the bank's executives.

Earlier last week, Han Seng's lawyer asked the police to immediately summon for questioning three executives of Panin Bank whom he believes were involved in the affair.

Bambang identified the three Panin Bank officials as Vice President Gunawan, Account Officer Lie Mei Lin and Director Chalid Latief. (bsr)