Lawmakers allege fishy business

JAKARTA: A number of lawmakers grouped under the People's Movement Suing the Bank Indonesia liquidity support (BLBI) have claimed that the handing over of PT Sweet Indolampung assets could have been a criminal act.

"We have alleged that the case may have involved illegal proceedings," lawmaker Ade Daud Nasution of the Star Reform Party (PBR) said after meeting with Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) officials in Jakarta on Friday.

He said KPK was investigating the claims.

Sweet Indolampung is a subsidiary of Sugar Group Company owned by tycoon Liem Sioe Liong and his family. The firm received Rp 52 trillion (US$4.6 billion) from BLBI in 1998.

The group, along with 107 others, then handed over the company to the state in order to rid themselves of the BLBI debt. The government later auctioned off the bank.

Sweet Indolampung was bought out by PT Garuda Pancaartha (owned by Gunawan Yusuf), who in their dealing with the Salim Group only obtained 42 hectares of land from the group. The remaining 50 odd hectares were not include in the transaction. -- JP