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Jakarta Post

Ex-BI deputy chiefs admit to `bribing' MPs

Former Bank Indonesia deputy governor Aulia Pohan admitted Tuesday to distributing money to members of the House of Representatives in 2003

Irawaty Wardany (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Wed, May 27, 2009 Published on May. 27, 2009 Published on 2009-05-27T13:41:21+07:00

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F

ormer Bank Indonesia deputy governor Aulia Pohan admitted Tuesday to distributing money to members of the House of Representatives in 2003.

"After a hearing with legislators, Pak Burhanuddin *Abdullah, a former BI governor* told me that the House would establish a working committee to discuss the settlement of BLBI *Bank Indonesia liquidity support* and he implied that it would take time and money as well," he told the Corruption Court.

Aulia, the father-in law of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's first son, was referring to corruption scandals surrounding the embezzlement of (BLBI) funds, which implicated senior BI officials.

Along with three other former BI deputy governors, Maman Soemantri, Bun Bunan EJ Hutapea and Aslim Tadjuddin are standing trial at the court on charges of bribing lawmakers in 2003 using funds from the BI's Banking Development Foundation (YPPI).

The alleged bribes were paid to smooth the settlement of BLBI and speed up the endorsement of a BI law. Payments were also made to finance the legal expenses of five former BI senior officials who were implicated in BLBI graft cases at the time.

Aulia further said that during a meeting with the BI board of governors to discuss this issue on June 3, 2003, BI legal division director Roswita Rosa said the board needed money to fund the legal assistance as well as for the House's working committee members discussing the BLBI settlement.

"I was asked by Burhanuddin whether BI had money to cover such expenditures and I told him that BI might face a deficit that year. He then asked whether BI had spare money for that," Bun Bunan, who managed BI's internal finance, also said. He said he then told Burhanuddin that the BI could use YPPI funds because it would not affect the foundation's operations.

It was agreed at the meeting to use Rp 100 billion (US$9.7 million) of YPPI money, with Aulia and Maman, as YPPI's supervisory council members, calling the head of YPPI to set aside Rp 100 billion for BI.

"So defendant 3 and 4 *Bun Bunan and Aslim* did not play a role in distributing the money from YPPI?" asked prosecutor Rudi Margono.

"Yes," said Maman.

Meanwhile, Aslim claimed he only attended the July 22, 2003 BI board of governors meeting because he had an assignment abroad when the June 3 meeting took place.

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