Police in dark about Bambang Rachmadi

JAKARTA: The police said on Thursday they would begin a search for Bambang Rachmadi, a key suspect in the Rp 40 billion corruption case at the state-owned Jamsostek, if he did not respond to a second summons to appear for questioning.

City police chief Insp. Gen. Makbul Padmanagara said the police currently had no idea as to Bambang's location.

"But if he fails to come (for questioning) we will begin hunting for him," he said.

He did say, however, that he believed Bambang, the son-in-law of Sudharmono, who served as vice president during the Soeharto administration, was currently abroad. Bambang was first summoned by the police on April 4.

"If he is here (in Indonesia) he will appear for questioning," Makbul added.

Bambang, the president director of PT Ramako Gerbang Mas, which runs McDonald's Indonesia; Akmal Husein, the former president of Jamsostek, which oversees the social security insurance scheme for workers; and Horas Simatupang, the finance director of Jamsostek, have been accused of misusing funds from the state-owned firm in 2000.

The police also said on Thursday that Akmal and Horas had been released as they had finished questioning them.--JP