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Govt says hunt still on for BLBI debtors
The government is continuing attempts to find 23 bad debtors of the Bank Indonesia Liquidity Assistance (BLBI) fund, despite the fact some of them have escaped criminal investigations due to a lack of evidence
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The government is continuing attempts to find 23 bad debtors of the Bank Indonesia Liquidity Assistance (BLBI) fund, despite the fact some of them have escaped criminal investigations due to a lack of evidence.
"The government is pursuing both criminal and civil procedures to handle debtors who have yet to fulfill their obligations," Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati announced Tuesday at a plenary session at the House of Representatives.
Mulyani was reading out President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's response to the House's second query into the government's efforts to resolve the BLBI scandal.
The government said it had imposed travel bans on eight of the debtors - Omar Putihrai and Lidia Muchtar (of Bank Tamara), Adisaputra Januardy and James Januardy (Bank Namura), Atang Latief (Bank Bira), Ulung Bursa (Bank Lautan Berlian), Marimutu Sinivasan (Bank Putera Multikarsa) and Agus Anwar (Bank Istismarat and Bank Pelita) - some of whom are believed to have already fled the country.
The government will also seize and auction the debtors' assets this year and has threatened to detain them if they fail to cooperate.
"We hope these measures will effectively force the debtors to fulfill their obligations immediately," Mulyani said.
Police and state prosecutors had launched investigations into alleged embezzlement involving 16 banks, but lacked evidence to charge 12 of them.
The Finance Ministry had been mandated, however, to pursue civil lawsuits against the owners of the 12 banks to recover state assets, Mulyani said.
The debtors are Santoso Sumali (Bank Metropolitan), Trijono Gondokusumo (Bank Putra Surya Perkasa), Santoso Sumali (Bank Bahari), Hengky Wijaya (Bank Tata), David Nusa Wijaya and Tarunodjojo (Bank Umum Servitia), I Made Sudiarta and I Gede Darmawan (Bank Aken), Dewanto Kurniawan, Royanto Kurniawan, Leo Polisa, Rasjim Wiraatmadja (Bank Deka), Hindarto Tantular and Anton Tantular (Bank Central Dagang), Andri Tedjadharma, PT Centris Mekarlestari, Prasetyo Utomo and Paul Banuara Silalahi (Bank Centris), Kwan Benny Ahadi (Bank Orient), Sjamsul Nursalim (Bank Dewa Rutji) and Kaharudin Ongko (Bank Arya Panduartha).
The court sentenced Setiawan Harjono and Hendrawan Harjono from Bank Aspac to six months and one year in prison respectively.
The administration has also filed case reviews to have the Supreme Court overturn its verdicts that were in favor of debtors, including Fadel Muhamad of Bank Intan.
The Supreme Court ruled the government pay some Rp 23.5 billion to Fadel, who is the Gorontalo governor. The government said despite the court ruling, Fadel's debt to the state amounting to Rp 88.15 billion still stands.
Lawmaker Yuddy Chrisnandi of the Golkar Party faction hailed the administration for providing a more detailed explanation than its previous response at the plenary session Feb. 12 (which the House rejected). Chrisnandi regretted, however, the government's failure to set a deadline for the asset recovery. (alf)
