Siti reveals reason for dismissal from Bank DKI

JAKARTA (JP): The former marketing and credit director of city-owned Bank DKI said on Friday that Governor Sutiyoso fired her because she rejected a Rp 8 billion loan proposal from his friend.

Siti Aisyah Margareth Rose Harahap told The Jakarta Post: "I rejected the proposed loan because Sutiyoso's friend could not meet the bank's credit requirements."

"I was fired because I did not cooperate. That's all. It has nothing to do with my educational background as Sutiyoso told the local media," she said.

It was earlier reported that Siti was fired on May 7 because she used a fake university certificate when applying for the job.

Siti said the loan proposal made by Sutiyoso's friend, identified as Ismawan, an executive at services firm PT Rapih Halim, was submitted in mid-January, about a week after her Jan. 4 appointment to the bank.

Under the proposal, the loan was to be used to finance the collection of the city's property taxes. PT Rapih Halim was reportedly to be appointed by the administration the sole firm in charge of the collection of property taxes, she said.

Siti said that according to central bank regulations, loans disbursed by a bank should amount to less than or up to a maximum of 75 percent of offered collateral.

"This man, however, was asking for Rp 8 billion but he did not give any collateral at all. Then, apparently with some pushing from Sutiyoso, he came up with some Rp 1 billion," Siti said.

"How could Bank DKI, which is already burdened with a large amount of bad loans, give such a loan," she said.

She stated that she was strongly against approving the loan from the beginning.

"I gave my reasons on a signed-and-stamped document from Bank DKI, stating that PT Rapih Halim just did not fulfill the credit requirements," Siti said.

She said that apart from "collateral problems", her staff discovered that PT Rapih Halim had bad loans at several local banks. She, however, refused to reveal the names of the banks.

Siti said the loan proposal was thoroughly examined, including whether Ismawan's company or Ismawan himself was able to repay the loan and Ismawan's credibility as a businessman.

"The man may have had a recommendation from Sutiyoso, but Bank DKI has to be extra careful," she said.

She said a healthy bank's capital adequacy ratio (CAR) should be at a minimum level of 4 percent. CAR is the ratio between capital and risk-weighted assets.

"Bank DKI's CAR is at minus 11 percent," she said.

Meanwhile, Sutiyoso said on Friday he knew nothing about the proposed loan and did not have a friend by the name of Ismawan.

"I've never heard of such a proposal and don't know Ismawan," Sutiyoso said on Friday at City Hall.

Deputy governor for development affairs Budihardjo Sukmadi, who is also a member of the bank's monitoring team, said the loan proposal was made in mid-January.

"Yes, I remember that proposal reached my hands about a month ago. The bank's monitoring team is still considering whether the application for the loan will be approved," he said.

"But no, it (proposal) was not recommended by Pak Sutiyoso," he added.

The bank's monitoring team, chaired by Sutiyoso, comprises the assistant to the city secretary, Budihardjo, deputy governor for economic and financial affairs Fauzie Alvi Yasin and head of the city regional economic bureau Hari Sanjojo. (ylt)