Trial begins for ex-Aspac director
Trial begins for ex-Aspac director
JAKARTA (JP): The South Jakarta District Court initiated on
Monday the corruption trial of the former director of credit at
Bank Aspac.
The charges involved the misallocation of Rp 583.4 billion
(US$63.4 million) of Government Liquidity Support (BLBI) funds
for liquidated banks.
Prosecutor Soetantyo said defendant Hendrawan, 46, violated
Article 1 of Law No. 3/1971 on corruption. The Article carries a
maximum punishment of life in prison.
"The defendant, between February 1998 and February 1999, along
with then Bank Aspac president Setiawan Harjono, allegedly abused
his authority to enrich himself or others at the expense of the
state," he told the court hearing, presided over by judge Muchtar
Ritonga.
The prosecutor also accused Hendrawan of violating Article 49
of Law No.7/1992 on banking. The Article carries a maximum
sentence of 15 years imprisonment.
Soetantyo said Bank Aspac received Rp 583.4 billion from Bank
Indonesia in December 1997 as part of government liquidity
support.
"The money should have been used only to settle the bank's
liquidity problems, but not for other purposes," he said.
However, after receiving the funds from the central bank,
Hendrawan reportedly allocated some of the money to the bank's
foreign exchange trading activities and to finance the activities
of some corporations affiliated with Bank Aspac.
Hendrawan, a high school graduate, lowered his head as the
prosecutor read out the indictment made against him.
A team of five lawyers, led by B.E.D. Siregar of Bob Nasution
& Partners law office, said they would prepare a counterstatement
in response to the prosecutor's accusations.
L.M.M. Samosir, one of the team's members, questioned the
prosecutor's motives in bringing the case to court.
He quoted a statement by House of Representatives (DPR)
Speaker Akbar Tandjung that the case would be settled through
political means, and not legally.
"So we don't know the prosecutor's motive in settling the case
through the courts," Samosir said.
Bank Aspac's financial statement was first audited by the
Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) before the case was handed to the
House. The House then submitted the case to the Attorney
General's Office for prosecution.
Prosecutor Soetantyo told The Jakarta Post after the hearing
that main defendant Setiawan Harjono had yet to face charges
against him because he was being hospitalized at Mitra Keluarga
Hospital in East Jakarta.
Presiding judge Muchtar Ritonga adjourned the hearing until
next Monday, when the court will hear the lawyers'
counterstatement. (01)