Asia Times: Wahid tells AG to act over Texmaco scandal



	December 8, 1999	atimes.com

Southeast Asia

Wahid tells AG to act over Texmaco scandal

JAKARTA - Indonesia's President Abdurrahman Wahid says he has asked the attorney general to collect evidence on textile giant Texmaco's alleged involvement in corruption.

''Please collect the evidence and prosecute the suspected culprits,'' he quoted himself as telling the attorney general, adding: ''The attorney general told me that he intends to prosecute top Texmaco executives.''

Texmaco has bad debts to state-owned Bank Negara Indonesia totalling Rp9.8 trillion ($1.4 billion). The loans, in the form of pre-shipment facilities, were made possible with former president Suharto's intervention and violated legal lending limit rules while they had been used to repay short-term debts.

Wahid said he had also suggested that the bank belonging to the conglomerate be put under the control of the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (Ibra). ''Its (Texmaco's) owner came to me pleading why his bank . . . had to be put under Ibra control. I said to him, if he could not accept it, file a complaint to a court of justice but do not try to settle it here.''

Texmaco president Marimutu Sinivasan has already been declared a suspect in the case.

Wahid said he had suggested to Sinivasan that he sue Investment and State Enterprises Empowerment Minister Laksamana Sukardi for libel if he was genuinely innocent of corruption. Sinivasan had asked Wahid to ''rectify'' Sukardi's earlier statements revealing the possible commission of acts of corruption and collusion in the granting of the loans to Texmaco.

''If you believe you are right, then prove it by suing Laksamana in court. Why bother [meeting me],'' the president told Sinivasan.

(Asia Pulse/Antara)

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©1999 Asia Times Online Co., Ltd.