J

AKARTA: Malaysian-based broadcasting company Astro All Asia Network has demanded clarification from the National Police after the latter recently named its CEO, Ralph Marshall, a suspect in a fund misappropriation case.

Marshall, whose company is in a dispute with Indonesia’s Lippo Group, has been accused of misusing US$90 million of operational funds from an Astro and Lippo joint project several years ago.

Hafzan Taher, a lawyer for Astro All Asia, said Friday that the police had dropped the case in 2010 due to a lack of evidence. “All of sudden, we saw in newspapers that the police had finished investigating the case and would hand over it to the court,” he said.

Hafzan said that his client had never been summoned by the police.

National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Saud Usman Nasution said last month that all files related to Marshall’s status had been completed and were ready to be sent to the Attorney’s General Office. Saud said as quoted by media that the police had summoned Marshall twice but had received no response. The defense lawyers had written two letters to the police asking for clarification, but they remained unanswered.

The dispute between Astro All Asia and Lippo Group started in 2008 when the two failed to form a television cable network as part of a project initiated in 2005. The two parties took the dispute to the Singapore International Arbitration Center (SIAC) to find a solution.

SIAC ruled in favor of Astro All Asia and asked Lippo Group to pay $300 million to Astro All Asia.