Sjahril's detention extended

Sjahril's detention extended

JAKARTA (JP): The Attorney General's Office extended on Monday
the arrest of central bank governor Sjahril Sabirin to another 40
days, pending the completion of the investigation into his
involvement in the Bank Bali scandal.

The extension takes effect on July 11, one day after Sjahril's
first 20-day arrest ends.

Sjahril is suspected of involvement in the Bank Bali scandal
in which Rp 904 billion was reimbursed by the government for
defaulted loans, but less than half the money was received by
Bank Bali.

His lawyers condemned the extension, saying it is baseless and
has no urgency.

"We are considering taking legal action against the Attorney
General's Office, either in the form of protest or by filing a
pretrial," lawyer Abdul Hakim Garuda Nusantara told reporters
after visiting Sjahril.

Another lawyer, Mohammad Assegaf, said that in the
notification, Sjahril was charged with inflicting state losses by
reimbursing the loans using Bank Indonesia's liquidity loan
without waiting for government verification.

Attorney General Marzuki Darusman said later in the day that
Sjahril is facing other charges.

"We will treat them separately. The ongoing process of
investigation into Sjahril could develop further and could be
linked to other cases and other names ... we'll see," he told
journalists at his office, declining to elaborate further.

Many people believe the money was used largely by then ruling
Golkar party to bankroll then president B.J. Habibie's campaign
for election.

Meanwhile, investigation into former president Soeharto's
alleged involvement in massive corruption, is progressing with
testimony recorded from more than 100 witnesses and preparation
of the dossier nearing 50 percent completion.

Director of Investigation Ris Sihombing said Soeharto will
face more questioning some time this week, after a three-week
pause following Soeharto's brain scan last month. (bby)