Prajogo balks judges on Bob Hasan case

Prajogo balks judges on Bob Hasan case

JAKARTA (JP): Prominent businessman Prajogo Pangestu could
only respond with a series of "I don't remember" and "I don't
know" answers as he frustrated judges trying to extract
information from him regarding the multi-million dollar graft
trial of Mohamad "Bob" Hasan here on Thursday.

Despite taking several minutes to respond to each question
asked, Prajogo failed to sufficiently answer any of the queries
posed to him, no matter how simple they seemed.

"I don't know much about the (1989) contract, except that it
was about aerial photographing," Prajogo told the Central Jakarta
District Court hearing presided over by Judge Subardi.

Prajogo was referring to an allegedly fraudulent project in
1989, which involved the mapping and aerial photography of 88.63
million hectares of forest concessions, belonging to 599
concessionaires.

Prosecutors have charged the defendant, Hasan, for defrauding
the Indonesian Forest Concessionaires Association (APHI) of
US$168 million via this project.

At the time, Prajogo was an APHI executive board member.

Prosecutors have also charged that the defendant, who chaired
APHI from 1989 to 1998, officially granted this project to PT
Adikarto Printindo (PT AP) in 1989, before holding a mandatory
board meeting of APHI executives to discuss and authorize the
matter.

Hasan subsequently bought out the shares of PT AP in full and
changed its name to PT Mapindo Parama (PT MP) in 1991.

"I did not know that the contract was signed before the board
meeting was held ... I remember that I arrived late to that board
meeting," Prajogo said.

Most of Prajogo's responses boarded on the comical. When Judge
Poerwanto asked the Barito Pacific Group chairman if he knew why
Hasan was sitting in the courtroom, Prajogo said, "I don't know."

A similar response was also given when was asked if he knew
Hasan's position in PT MP, and whether, as an APHI executive
board member, he knew which account the project funds were
transferred to.

Frustrated, Judge Subardi tried resorting to what he believed
was basic knowledge for a forest concessionaire, such as how many
forest concessions Prajogo held, including the number of
hectares. Prajogo replied: "I forget".

He added that he also had no idea if the number of hectares to
be photographed was stated in the 1989 contract.

Chief prosecutor Arnold Angkouw asked Prajogo how many
companies he currently owned.

Prajogo replied: "I don't remember".

Prosecutors have charged Hasan, together with former APHI
deputy chief Tahir and former APHI chief executive Asmaning
Tjipto Wignjoprajitno, of transferring $134 million from the APHI
account to the account of Hasan's company, PT MP, between 1991 to
1998.

The funds were paid by forest concessionaires for the 1989
project.

When asked if Prajogo knew of the transfer, Prajogo said he
had no idea.

"Was tax ever paid to the government from that project money?"
Subardi asked, and again Prajogo said that he did not know.

To this, Subardi asserted: "Corrupt businessmen must love
doing business with you, since you can easily forget everything."
(ylt)