Peruri chiefs no-show on summons

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.