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Indonesian tycoon fights graft allegations in BLBI bailout case
Sjamsul Nursalim has filed a civil lawsuit against a Supreme Audit Agency report that incriminates him in a graft case related to the disbursement of bailout loans.
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Corruption Eradication Commission deputy chairman Laode M. Syarif (central), accompanied by another deputy chairman, Saut Situmorang (left), and KPK spokesman Febri Diansyah, speaks during a press conference on new suspects related to graft in the disbursement of Bank Indonesia Liquidity Support (BLBI), at the KPK headquarters in Jakarta on June 10. (Antara/Reno Esnir)
A
civil lawsuit against an audit report produced by the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) on the Bank Indonesia Liquidity Support, also known as the BLBI, is in the spotlight again in the wake of businessman Sjamsul Nursalim being named a suspect of corruption pertaining to the disbursement of the funds.
The audit report, released by the agency in August 2017, has been used by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to incriminate the tycoon and Syafruddin Arsyad Temenggung, the former chairman of the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA), in a graft case on irregularities surrounding the BLBI bailout loan.
It reportedly confirms the antigraft body’s suspicion that there were irregularities pertaining to the BLBI disbursements from 1999 to 2004 that had caused Rp 4.58 trillion (US$321 million) in state losses.
During a press briefing on Wednesday, a lawyer representing Sjamsul in the lawsuit, Otto Hasibuan, said the tycoon had filed the lawsuit in February because he thought the audit agency had been “unprofessional as well as not objective and independent” in producing the report.
“The 2017 BPK audit, which was based only on evidence obtained by the KPK, showed that there were irregularities regarding the BLBI disbursement. Meanwhile, the two previous audits of 2002 and 2006 by the same agency concluded there was nothing wrong with the disbursement,” Otto said.
“The BPK has not gone through the procedure of gathering data and evidence from the auditee – Sjamsul himself – and the BDNI. Therefore, we think the audit was produced recklessly.”
Sjamsul is the founder of publicly-listed PT Gajah Tunggal, which produces rubber goods, especially tires for vehicles.
