Will Towil disclose Sumarlin's role?

By Rudy Madanir

JAKARTA (JP): Did J.B. Sumarlin really overrule the decision by the directors of Bapindo to cut their losses with Eddy Tansil's loans in June 1992?

The question is expected to be answered by Sumarlin himself when he testifies beginning today in the trial of Towil Heryoto, one of the four former Bapindo directors suspected of involvement in the Rp 1.3 trillion (US$620 million) loan scam at the state- owned bank.

Towil and former Bapindo directors Sjahrizal, Subekti Ismaun and Bambang Kuntjoro, who are also suspects in the case, blamed their failure to cut their losses with Tansil on Sumarlin, the then finance minister.

All four testified in Tansil's trial that on the morning of June 2, 1992, the directors decided to cut their losses with Tansil's loans and stop issuing further banker's acceptances in connection with his loans. At that time Tansil had already received $208 million of his total of $436 million in loans.

Only hours later however, Sjahrizal said he was summoned to Sumarlin's office at which time he was ordered to allow Tansil to cash in on the remaining loans that were pledged to him.

Later in the afternoon Sjahrizal returned to the office and informed the other directors of Sumarlin's remarks during a board of directors meeting. They then reversed their morning decision and continued to make good on all their loan commitments to Tansil.

Sumarlin has reportedly denied the existence of the June 2 meeting with Sjahrizal, claiming he was in Irian Jaya on that day.

Are the four lying?

Towil's trial should clarify not only the role of Sumarlin, currently the chairman of the Supreme Audit Board, but also disclose more details about the roles of Sudomo and Nasruddin Sumintapura in the loan scam. Both of them are among the 45 witnesses expected to testify at the trial.

Sudomo was the coordinating minister of political affairs and security and Nasruddin was the junior finance minister when Tansil's loans were approved and disbursed between 1989 and 1993.

Sudomo is now the chairman of the Supreme Advisory Board on which Nasruddin also sits.

Like the trials of Eddy Tansil and Maman Suparman, the first two suspects in the scam, Towil's trial will feature a courtroom battle involving judges, public prosecutors and lawyers.

Here are brief profiles of the principle players in the legal battle surrounding Towil.

Presiding Judge Soedjatman

He is chief of the South Jakarta District Court.

The court career of the 59-year-old who hails from Blora, Central Java, dates back to 1959 in Pati, Central Java. He then moved to the Central Java towns of Rembang in 1970, Kudus in 1979 and finally Bali's capital of Denpasar in 1984 when he was named chief of the district court. Two years later he became chief of the court in Palembang, South Sumatra and in 1991 he took over the South Jakarta District Court.

He studied law at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta and obtained his master's degree at Diponegoro University in Semarang, Central Java in 1967.

His most celebrated cases involved foreigners on drug charges during his stint in Bali. He also handled a major timber smuggling case in Palembang.

Chief prosecutor Taslim Hasyim

Taslim, 57, who hails from Komering Ilir, South Sumatra, is a member of the Attorney General's Corruption Crimes Division.

He studied law at the University of Padjadjaran in Bandung, West Java.

His career took him through prosecutor's offices in Denpasar, Palembang and Lubuk Linggau before he moved to the Attorney General's office in 1977. Since then he has handled many cases of subversion for that office.

Taslim achieved fame for his handling of the case of Imron who hijacked a Garuda Indonesia plane in 1981.

Rudy Lontoh, Towil's lawyer

Rudy, 51, is a senior partner at the Rudy A. Lontoh, Denny Kailimang and associates law firm which was established in 1980.

A native of Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi, he majored in criminology at the Faculty of Law of the Parahyangan Catholic University in Bandung.

Between 1974-1979 he studied at the notary school of University of Indonesia while working at a law firm.

Along with Denny Kailimang, he represented the children of Haji Achmad Thaher in their fight against the government in a Singapore court for the rights to the huge estate of their father.

Rudy helped found the Jakarta Lawyers Club in 1992. He was elected as chairman of the Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian Lawyers Association in 1989.