Artha Graha exec denies links to alleged BI bribery case

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Sun, 09/28/2008 5:54 PM | National

Artha Graha International Bank president director Andy Kasih has denied any involvement in the channeling of traveler's checks to legislators in connection with the 2004 election of a deputy senior governor of Bank Indonesia.

Andy told a press conference Sunday that the bank was a financial institution and that it had only been providing regular services to its customers when it cashed the traveler's checks.

"We were serving our customers who wanted to cash the checks issued by Bank Internasional Indonesia," he said.

Andy and two other executives of Artha Graha Group, PT First Mujur plantation president director Hidayat Lukman and director of finance Budi Santoso, were banned from leaving the country following by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

The KPK said the ban was related to the disbursement of traveler's checks to dozens of legislators immediately after Miranda Swaray Goeltom had been elected deputy senior governor of the central bank in 2004.

The anti-graft body reportedly said the traveler's checks originated from Artha Graha International Bank, and were disbursed by PT First Mujur Plantation to 41 members of the then House's Commission IX, which oversaw financial and banking affairs. (dre)

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