Supreme Court rejects appeal in Sjahrir case

JAKARTA: The Supreme Court upheld a lower court's decision acquitting former Bank Indonesia governor Sjahrir of illegally disbursing Rp 904 billion of Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA) funds to the now-defunct Bank Bali in 1999.

"A panel of justices rejected the appeal by the Attorney General's Office," a court official, who asked not to be named, said on Tuesday.

The Central Jakarta District Court sentenced Sjahril to three years in jail in 2002, but the Jakarta High Court overturned the verdict in 2003. Prosecutors appealed the high court's decision to the Supreme Court.

Sjahrir was accused of cooperating with Bank Bali owner Rudy Ramli, former minister for investment and state enterprises Tanri Abeng and former Supreme Advisory Council chairman A.A. Baramuli in illegally disbursing Rp 904 billion in funds to Bank Bali. There were allegations that more than half of this money was used to finance president B.J. Habibie's reelection bid in 1999. --JP