Peruri chiefs no-show on summons
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The president director and two directors of state banknote printing company Peruri, suspects in a Rp 2.3 billion (US$242 million) graft case, failed to show up at city police headquarters on Monday for questioning.
Jakarta Police special crimes chief Sr. Comr. Syahrul Mamma said the police would issue second summonses on Tuesday.
"According to the law, it is permissible that they did not respond to our first summons. It's fine as we will prepare second summonses. We hope they will cooperate to make the process faster," Syahrul said.
Police declared last Friday the company's president director M. Koesnan Martono, logistics director Marlan Arif and marketing director Suparman suspects in the case, and immediately summoned them to headquarters for questioning on Monday.
Syahrul said that if the three directors defied a third summons then police officers would pick them up from their last known addresses.
"We will wait and decide later whether we need to detain them or not," he said.
According to the law, a suspect has three opportunities to comply with a police summons before being forced to appear at a police station for questioning.
Earlier, police spokesman Sr. Comr. Tjiptono said the three suspects were suspected of embezzling part of the company's Rp 5.9 billion profit for the 1999 to 2000 period.
Marlan Arif allegedly withdrew Rp 4.175 billion in July 2000 to be distributed to employees while the remaining Rp 1.7 billion, upon the order of then managing director Suparman, was subsequently allocated as operational funds for directors.
The Rp 1.7 billion was deposited in a bank, and for three years it grew to Rp 2.3 billion due to interest paid on the principal.
Koesnan instructed in 2004 that the money be channeled for the company's "social and education funds".
The money was said to be used to build a mosque and a school but police found that no buildings had been constructed.
Police said they would charge the suspects under Law No. 28/1999 on corruption, which carries a maximum punishment of 12 years in prison, as well as articles 372 and 374 of the Criminal Code on embezzlement, which stipulate a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
Syahrul said the police had enough evidence to name the three suspects before questioning them, such as a report from the Development Finance Comptroller (BPKP).
He said they were also completing the case file on another case allegedly involving a Peruri employee identified as Mulyono, who was arrested in February for allegedly stealing thousands of banknotes worth billions of rupiah over several years.
Earlier this year, the police named several Peruri employees suspects for cooperating with outsiders to produce and circulate counterfeit banknotes.