Aulia Pohan, father-in law to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's son, will stand trial at the Corruption Court on Friday with three other former Bank Indonesia (BI) governors.

"The initial trial will kick off at 9 a.m. Friday," Amir Karyatin, a lawyer for the four bribery suspects, told The Jakarta Post in Jakarta on Tuesday.

He said Aulia and the three other suspects - Bun Bunan Hutapea, Maman Soemantri and Aslim Tadjuddin - would face the judges together and would be tried for the same crime.

"Judge Masrudin Chaniago will preside over the trial with assisting judges Moerdiono, Hendra Yospin, Slamet Subagyo and Anwar," Amir said, adding that at least 13 lawyers would defend the four suspects.

The four former deputy governors of the central bank were charged for their involvement in the embezzling of Rp 100 billion from BI's Indonesian Banking Development Foundation (YPPI) in 2003. The money was misappropriated to smooth the political settlement of an previous massive loan scandal involving Bank Indonesia liquidity support (BLBI) funds, and also to push-through the approval of an amendment to the BI law.

The decision to embezzle the Rp 100 billion was made at two meetings on June 3 and July 22, 2003, by former BI governor Burhanuddin Abdullah and board members including Aulia Pohan, Maman Soemantri, Bun Bunan Hutapea and Aslim Tadjuddin.

Former BI senior deputy governor Anwar Nasution, who currently heads the Supreme Audit Agency, remains free.

At the meetings, two former BI senior officials, Oey Hoey Tiong and Rusli Simanjuntak, were appointed with distributing the money. Oey was in charge of handing over Rp 68.5 billion to five former BI senior officials, who were later implicated in the BLBI graft case - Iwan R. Prawiranata, Heru Supraptomo, Hendro Budianto, Paul Sutopo and Sudrajad Djiwandono.

Rusli distributed more than Rp 31.5 billion to legislators Hamka Yandhu and Anthony Zeidra Abidin, then representatives of Commission IX for financial and banking issues at the House of Representatives, in a bribe to finalize the political settlement of BLBI corruption cases and accelerate the amendment of a BI law.

Former BI governor Burhanuddin Abdullah was sentenced to five years' prison late last year for his role in dealing out the money, which was neither recorded in accounts at the BI or YPPI.

Oey and Rusli were each sentenced to four years jail in October last year.

Hamka and Anthony were sentenced to three and four-and-a half years in jail respectively last month for receiving bribes from the BI fund.

Popular

Tiny homes for young urbanites draw criticism over livability

House yet to decide on Gibran impeachment petition

Iran threatens US bases in response to strikes on nuclear sites