Timan faces 20 years in jail

Timan faces 20 years in jail

A former president director of state-owned company PT
Bahana Pembinaan Usaha Indonesia (PBUI) is facing corruption
charges at the South Jakarta District Court for allegedly costing
taxpayers an astronomical total of US$240.9 million.

Prosecutor Boediman Rahardjo presented on Thursday the 54-page
indictment of defendant Sudjiono Timan, 42, who was charged under
several articles of the Anticorruption Law, which carries a
maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment.

"The defendant had manipulated his authority to amass wealth
for himself and other parties," said Boediman before the hearing,
which was presided over by Judge IDG Putra Jadnya.

PT BPUI is a company under the central bank which was
responsible for channeling funds to help small- and medium-sized
companies.

During the defendant's term as president director, PT BPUI had
disbursed the money to several companies which did not qualify
for the program. They included Asia Finance Limited and Festival
Company Inc., which are respectively owned by his close friends
Agus Anwar and tycoon Prajogo Pangestu.

Sudjiono had also approved the disbursement of Rp 263 billion
of PT BPUI's investment fund account (RDI) to both companies and
PT Penta Investment Limited.

The hearing will resume next week to hear the defendant's side
of the story.

Sudjiono is currently under house arrest. Judge Jadnya
approved last December his request of house arrest on behalf of
his poor health and after paying over Rp 150 million in bail.
--JP