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Ex-BI chief jailed; Aulia a suspect
NO WAY OUT: Former Bank Indonesia governor Burhanuddin Abdullah rubs his eye as he leaves the Corruption Court shortly after his trial in Jakarta on Thursday
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NO WAY OUT: Former Bank Indonesia governor Burhanuddin Abdullah rubs his eye as he leaves the Corruption Court shortly after his trial in Jakarta on Thursday. He was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in a graft case. (JP/R. Berto Wedhatama)
Former Bank Indonesia governor Burhanuddin Abdullah was sentenced Wednesday to five years’ imprisonment in a major bribery scandal, while a relative of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s was declared a new suspect in the same case.
The Corruption Court also fined Burhanuddin Rp 250 million, saying he must serve an additional six months should he fail to pay it.
“The defendant has been proved legally and convincingly guilty of committing collective corruption,” presiding judge Gusrizal said when reading out the verdict.
Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) prosecutors had demanded an eight-year sentence and Rp 500 million fine for the former central bank chief.
Gusrizal told the court there were several mitigating factors for the sentence handed down, including the fact Burhanuddin had not been found guilty of receiving part of the embezzled money for his personal gain.
Burhanuddin was convicted of illegally disbursing a total of Rp 100 billion (US$9.1 million) from the central bank’s Indonesian Banking Development Foundation (YPPI).
The disbursement of the money was decided on in a meeting of the BI board of governors to expedite the amendment of the BI law and the settlement of a corruption scandal involving Bank Indonesia liquidity support (BLBI) funds.
“There was a joint agreement during the July 3, 2003, meeting between the defendant, Aulia Pohan, Bun Bunan Hutapea, Aslim Tajuddin and Oey Hoey Tiong to use the YPPI fund,” Gusrizal said.
With the exception of Oey, then head of BI’s legal bureau, the others named were all on the BI board of governors. Oey is now standing trial in the same case, along with Rusli Simanjuntak, the former head of BI’s Surabaya office.
Gusrizal said Burhanuddin, Aulia, Bun Bunan and Aslim, as well as board members Maman Sumantri and Anwar Nasution, had agreed in a July 22, 2003, meeting to establish a Social and Community Development Committee (PSK) to manage the distribution of the Rp 100 billion fund.
Later on Wednesday, the bribery scandal deepened with Aulia Pohan, the father-in-law of Yudhoyono’s son Agus Harimurti, declared a suspect in the case, alongside Aslim, Maman and Bun Bunan.
The announcement of the four new suspects was made by KPK chairman Antasari Azhar, shortly after Burhanuddin was convicted.
Antasari said the four, barred since February from going abroad, would be summoned for questioning on Nov. 3.
Responding to the charge against Aulia, President Yudhoyono said he was saddened that a relative of his was named a suspect in the graft case.
“As a person, I honestly feel sad. I have to keep my family grounded while we face this problem bravely and pray for real justice to be done. That’s my job as part of the family,” Yudhoyono said at a press briefing at the presidential office.
“As head of state, I have repeatedly called for justice to be upheld for all. If Aulia Pohan is guilty, then he must undergo the due process of law, and I don’t have the right to intervene.”
Asked why Anwar Nasution, current chairman of the Supreme Audit Agency, was not yet declared a suspect, Antasari said his involvement in the case was “still under investigation”.
Prosecutors allege BI officials used Rp 31.5 billion of the embezzled money to bribe legislators amending the central bank law.
The remaining Rp 68.5 billion was used to hire lawyers to defend senior BI officials implicated in an earlier scandal — the misuse of BLBI funds during the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis.
