In a move likely to disappoint public expectation, the Corruption Eradication Commission hinted Monday it might drop an investigation into the alleged misuse of Bank Indonesia Liquidity Support (BLBI) funds, citing lack of evidence.
The Attorney General’s Office confirmed the investigation’s poor prospects of succeeding, saying many documents related to the case had been lost.
“Our team’s evaluation of the BLBI cases has concluded the data remains insufficient,” said KPK spokesman Johan Budi.
The KPK is examining 18 BLBI cases before deciding whether to take them over from the AGO.
The anti-corruption body is widely seen as the only law enforcement agency capable of satisfying public demand for justice in the epic bank scandal, following waning public trust in the AGO.
Ferry Wibisono, the commission’s director for prosecutions, said much of the BLBI data remained scattered and would require extra efforts to collect.
Officials from the KPK will meet Wednesday with those from the AGO, the Finance Ministry and the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (BPPN) to gather more data, Ferry added.
Assistant attorney general for special crimes Marwan Effendi admitted much of the data was lost.
“We lost some documents after renovations and fires in our building. Moreover, several prosecutors investigating the cases have since died, and others retired. This will require some time,” Marwan said.
He added some documents were still in the AGO’s warehouse but could not be found yet.
“But we hope to find copies of the documents in other institutions, like the BPPN, the Finance Ministry and district courts,” he said.
In 2001, the Central Jakarta District Court sentenced a man to three years in prison for torching the Development and Finance Comptroller Agency (BPKP) building on Jl. Hayam Wuruk. BLBI documents were destroyed in the arson attack.
More documents were lost earlier when the BI building caught fire in December 1997. Two years later, the National Police concluded the fire was the result of arson. However, no further investigations have been launched.
The BLBI scandal revolves around Rp 144.7 trillion (US$12.3 billion at current rate) in state money disbursed to 48 banks during the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis. The Supreme Audit Agency has found the misappropriation of some Rp 138 trillion in the disbursement of the funds.
Bank owners who received BLBI money include tycoons Sjamsul Nursalim (Bank Dagang Nasional Indonesia), Agus Anwar (Bank Pelita), Fadel Muhammad (Bank Intan), Hartono Samadikun (Bank Modern), I Gede Darmawan and Made Sudiarta (Bank Aken), Tarunojo Nusa and David Nusa Wijaya (Bank Umum Servitia), and Marimutu Sinivasan (Bank Putera Multikarsa).
The AGO has already handed over eight cases to the Finance Ministry, including those involving Agus Anwar and Gede Darmawan, and brought to court other debtors, including Hendra Raharja, David Nusa Wijaya and Hartono Samadikun.
