Jakarta – Golkar Party politicians Hamka Yandhu and Antony Zeidra Abidin demanded money from Bank Indonesia (BI) officials to speed up the approval of the revised BI law and resolve the alleged embezzlement of bank funds, the Corruption Court heard Friday.
In the first day of the legislators' trial, Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) prosecutors said bribes had been agreed on during a series of meetings between senior BI officials and members of the then House of Representatives' Commission IX on financial affairs, including Hamka and Antony.
"There is a price for resolving the BLBI (Bank Indonesia liquidity support) case," prosecutors said, reportedly quoting Antony's words to senior BI executives during a meeting in May 2003. Attending the meeting were then BI governor Burhanuddin Abdullah, deputy governors Aulia Pohan, Maman Soemantri, Bunbunan Hutapea, head of communications Rusli Simanjuntak and his subordinate Asnar Ashari. Commission IX representatives were Antony, Hamka, Amru Al Mu'tasyim and Danial Tanjung.
During the meeting the group agreed on the need for Rp 40 billion (US$4.3 million), of which Rp 15 billion would be used to finance the settlement of the BLBI case and the rest to make the House endorse the anticipated amendments to the BI law, the indictment said.
The BI board of governors agreed in a meeting on June 3, 2003, to allocate part of Rp 100 billion from the Indonesian Banking Development Institute (YPPI) to meet the legislators' request.
The prosecutors said the BI officials handed over the money to the House members Hamka and Antony in several stages.
The first payment of Rp 15 billion was made in three installments, the prosecutors claimed. The first was on June 27, 2003, when Rusli, accompanied by Asnar, gave Hamka and Antony Rp 2 billion during a meeting at a Central Jakarta hotel. The second payment was made on July 2, 2003, when the two politicians received Rp 5.5 billion at Antony's house, and the third in August 2003 when Rusli handed over Rp 7.5 billion, also at Antony's house.
The prosecutors said Rusli and Asnar paid the second installment of Rp 16.5 billion to Hamka and Antony in two stages. Hamka received Rp 10.5 billion from Rusli on Sept. 18, 2003, with the remainder given to Antony at his house on Dec. 4, 2003.
In earlier testimony, Hamka said the 52-strong Commission IX shared Rp 30.5 billion from the BI, with commission deputy chief Paskah Suzetta, now the national development planning minister, receiving Rp 1 billion and other members, including Malam Sambat Kaban, now the forestry minister, receiving at least Rp 250 million each.
The prosecutors charged Hamka and Antony under the anti-corruption law. They each face a maximum of 20 years in jail if convicted.
In response to the indictment, Antony's lawyers accused Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) chairman Anwar Nasution of reporting the BI scandal out of disappointment over his failure to become BI governor. Anwar was a senior deputy governor at the BI before moving into the top job at the BPK.
"Anwar's motive was mostly his disappointment," defense lawyer Maqdir Ismail told the court.
The defense read out the transcript of a recorded conversation between Antony and Anwar regarding the case, in which Anwar promised to settle the issue if he obtain the top position. "But if you elect Burhan (Burhanuddin) the governor, you are dead man," the transcript read.
Antony admitted he had met Anwar at the BPK office to clarify the audit findings in a BPK report.