Two firms implicated in BNI scandal fictitious

Two firms implicated in BNI scandal fictitious

Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

Magelang police stated that a local Bank Mandiri was not the
victim of a loan scandal, but that the new scandal involved a
Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) branch in Magelang, Central Java, and
US$3.19 million.

Earlier on Friday, Central Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Didi
Widayadi had said that Bank Mandiri's Magelang branch was the
center of the scandal.

However, the two companies implicated in the now confirmed BNI
scandal, PT Prasetya Cipta Tulada and PT Maestro Utama Inter
Buana, appeared to be fictitious. The addresses of the firms
belonged to two residential houses, which showed no signs of
business activities, The Jakarta Post learned.

In Magelang, Kedu Police chief of detectives Comr. RM Adityo
said officers were gathering more information on the two
companies and the loan scandal.

"No one has been named a suspect in the case so far.
Everything is still being investigated," he said.

Adityo said Kedu Police detectives had requested information
from Magelang industry and trade official Siswoyo in connection
with a business license issued on Feb. 19, 2003 for PT Prasetya
Cipta Tulada.

Siswoyo said the company was registered as a granite trader
with a head office in Jakarta.

However, the house apparently used by the company on Jl.
Pahlawan Prajenan, Mertoyudan subdistrict, Magelang, was found to
be devoid of business activities.

The family who lives in the house said the it was used by PT
Prasetya Cipta Tulada only as a forwarding address.

Yet, they claimed to have forgotten the name of the individual
using their home address.

The house on Jl. Raden Saleh, No. 1, Magelang, the listed
address for PT Maestro Utama Inter Buana, was empty and in
disuse.

Separately, Bank Mandiri stressed that its Magelang branch was
not the center of the US$3.19 million loan scandal.

"An audit showed that nothing has happened at our Magelang
branch," said Sambodo Prijo, a senior Bank Mandiri official in
Semarang, Central Java.