Sumarlin role in Bapindo's scandal major: Ex-director
JAKARTA (JP): The role played by former finance minister J.B. Sumarlin in the Rp 1.3 trillion (US$620 million) loan scandal at the state-owned Bank Pembangunan Indonesia (Bapindo) was re- asserted yesterday by another former director of the bank.
Sjahrizal said that Sumarlin put pressure on the bank's directors to continue financing the petrochemical projects of businessman Eddy Tansil despite the bank's board of directors' decision to postpone the financial support.
He was testifying in the trial of another former Bapindo director, Towil Heryoto, at the South Jakarta District Court.
Towil is charged with cooperating with Tansil, the owner of the Golden Key Group, to help him swindle the bank of $448 million with loans obtained between 1989 and 1993.
Sjahrizal and other Bapindo's former directors, Subekti Ismaun and Bambang Kuntjoro, are standing trial on similar charges.
He told the court that he was asked by the late Oskar Suryaatmaja, former Director General of Monetary at the Ministry of Finance, on June 2, 1992 to see Sumarlin, while the bank's board of directors were holding a meeting, which resolved to temporarily delay the issuance of banker's acceptances to Golden Key Group unless the group submitted a progress report of its projects.
"Sumarlin asked me to order Bapindo's board of directors to continue issuing banker's acceptances to Golden Key Group and tell the board not no worry because all risks will be borne by a syndication of government banks," Sjahrizal said.
Sumarlin was finance minister at the same time that he was the bank's chief commissioner.
Sjahrizal said he then saw Oskar and Nasruddin Sumintapura, former Junior Minister of Finance, to ask for suggestions.
"Both Oskar and Nasruddin asked the board of directors to execute Sumarlin's order if the group's projects were feasible," he said.
Judge Soedjatman, who presided the trial yesterday then questioned Sjahrizal as to whether he surely saw Sumarlin on June 2, 1992 because Sumarlin testified before the government investigators on April 21, 1994 that he was in Jayapura, Irian Jaya, helping with an election campaign for Golkar, the ruling political organization, on the same date.
"I am completely sure about that and would like to leave the truth to the presiding judge and Allah," Sjahrizal said, adding that he would prove the truth in his own trial.
Real Truth
One of Towil's defense lawyers, John Waleri, asked the presiding judge to confront Sjahrizal's testimony about his meeting with Sumarlin in a trial.
"Sumarlin's presence to testify before the court is important to find the real truth of the directors' meeting on June 2, 1992," John said.
Adi Sugondho, the fifth former director, who also testified before the court yesterday, said that he did not know about the meeting between Sjahrizal and Sumarlin.
Adi, who has not been charged apparently because he was not as extensively involved as the other four, told the court that at the time he also did not know Sjahrizal had received a request for the meeting.
Yesterday's trial also heard testimony of Sardi Budi Raharjo and Maman Suparman, former manager and deputy manager of Bapindo Jakarta, respectively.
Maman was sentenced to nine years of imprisonment last July, while Tansil has already been sentenced to 17 years of imprisonment and ordered to pay Rp 500 billion in restitution and a Rp 30 million fine.(02)