CORRUPTION UPDATE -- SUSPECTS NAMED IN HIGHLY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 000208 SIPDIS AIDAC SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, INR/EAP, INL FOR BOULDIN DEPT FOR EEB/IFD/OMA DOJ/OPDAT FOR LEHMANN/ALEXANDRE SINGAPORE FOR BAKER TREASURY FOR IA-BAUKOL DEPT PASS FEDERAL RESERVE SAN FRANCISCO FOR FINEMAN DEPT PASS EXIM BANK DEPT PASS USTR FOR BWEISEL, KEHLERS NSC FOR EPHU E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/31/2018 TAGS: PGOV KJUS KCOR KMCA ID SUBJECT: CORRUPTION UPDATE -- SUSPECTS NAMED IN HIGHLY PUBLICIZED CENTRAL BANK CASE REF: A. 07 JAKARTA 3378 ¶B. 07 JAKARTA 3349 ¶C. 07 JAKARTA 3326 ¶D. 07 JAKARTA 2974 ¶E. 07 JAKARTA 2229 JAKARTA 00000208 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: POL/C Joseph Legend Novak, reasons 1.4(b+d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) named the current Bank Indonesia Governor a suspect in a case involving the alleged diversion of funds to legislators. In other news: evidence has surfaced that several officials received bribes related to the procurement of fire trucks; the heirs of recently deceased former president Suharto will inherit a civil suit due to a judge's ruling; and, the GOI has scored a victory in its long running effort to recover stolen assets stashed overseas. END SUMMARY. CENTRAL BANK CHIEF INDICTED ¶2. (SBU) In a highly publicized case, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) formally declared Bank Indonesia (BI) Governor Burhanuddin Abdullah a suspect in a corruption case involving the diversion of bank funds (ref A). Two other BI officials have also been named suspects. According to KPK statements, the three men authorized the diversion of over USD 10 million in bank funds to private lawyers and members of Parliament (DPR). The money was apparently intended to win passage of legislation favorable to BI in Parliament and to defend BI officials from corruption allegations related to the Bank Indonesia Liquidity Assistance scandal (ref C). ¶3. (C) While no legislators have been questioned to date, newly-installed KPK Chief Antasari Azhar intimated that one current and one former member of the DPR are currently under scrutiny. The DPR connection makes this a key case for Antasari, whose selection as KPK Chief was opposed by anti-corruption activists who feared that he would be susceptible to political influence (ref B). The indictment of a parliamentarian, should one occur, would give a significant boost to the reputation of the KPK's new leaders. WHERE THERE'S SMOKE... ¶4. (U) In a separate case, evidence has emerged that a former minister is among those who received kickbacks in the purchase of fire trucks by regional governments. According to reports, in 2002 the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a document naming PT Istana Sarana Raya as the sole approved vendor of fire trucks to the provinces. Eleven regional governments proceeded to purchase trucks from the company, despite the fact that they were priced well above the market rate. ¶5. (U) According to KPK investigators, a company official made payments to more than a dozen Ministry and regional officials in 2004. One of the largest payments, about USD $40,000, went towards the purchase of a home that was later occupied by the then Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno. A former mayor has already been named a suspect in the case, and the KPK has questioned several sitting and former governors. SUHARTO'S HEIRS TO BE SUED ¶6. (SBU) There has been a key court ruling in the aftermath of former president Suharto's January 27 death. The presiding judge in a civil suit against Suharto ruled that his heirs would inherit the suit. The judge ordered that a religious court make a legal determination regarding the JAKARTA 00000208 002.2 OF 002 identity of the heirs. Prosecutors are attempting to recover USD $420 million in state funds they say were illegally diverted to Suharto's Supersemar foundation (ref D). RECOVERING STOLEN ASSETS ¶7. (U) Indonesia took a small step forward in its efforts to recover stolen state assets stashed overseas. The Ministry of Law and Human Rights announced the recovery of USD $3 million that had been stolen by Hendra Rahardja and Adrian Kiki Aryawan. The two former bank directors were convicted on corruption charges several years ago, but it took the GOI some time to recover the funds, which had been deposited into an Australian bank. ¶8. (U) The news gives hope that the GOI will succeed in recovering additional assets, including some USD $15 million held in Switzerland by convicted corruptor ECW Neloe and USD $50 million in Britain belonging to Tommy Suharto, son of the former president (ref E). The KPK has made asset recovery a top priority, and it is a key theme of the Second Conference of State Parties on the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC),which Indonesia is currently hosting in Bali. HUME