Sumarlin role in Bapindo's scandal major: Ex-director

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)