IO, Jakarta – The Supreme Court has handed down a verdict on the Syafruddin Arsyad Temenggung case, related to corruption in the processing of Bank Indonesia’s Statement of Full Repayment of Liquidity Assistance (Surat Keterangan Lunas Bantuan Likuiditas Bank Indonesia – “SKL BLBI“). The former Chairman of the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (Badan Penyehatan Perbankan Nasional – “BPPN”) was originally sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment at an Appeal level. “We are granting the Convict’s Petition,” said the Head of the Supreme Court’s Legal and Public Relations Bureau M. A. Abdullah in a press conference held in the Supreme Court Building, Jalan Medan Merdeka Utara, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday (09/07/2019).
Abdullah read out the order after the panel of judges heard out the Petition for Cessation. The Supreme Court judges admitted that Syafruddin has been proven to have perpetrated the actions he was accused of, but such actions were legally not considered criminal acts. “We are therefore releasing the convict from all legal charges,” Abdullah said.
Earlier, Syafruddin was sentenced to 13 years of imprisonment and a fine of IDR 700 million, minus 3 months of arrest at the First-Degree Court. At the appeal level, the High Court of DKI Jakarta increased his punishment to 15 years of imprisonment and a fine of IDR 1 billion, minus 3 months of arrest. Both courts found him guilty in the case involving the issuance of SKL BLBI.
In the First-Degree judgment, the judges stated that Syafruddin has committed his crime together with Sjamsul Nursalim and his wife, Itjih S. Nursalim, as well as Dorodjatun Kuntjoro Jakti as the Chairman of the Financial Sector Policies Committee (Komite Kebijakan Sektor Keuangan – “KKSK”) in the issuance of the SKL. Syafruddin is declared to have eliminated the Indonesian National Trading Bank (Bank Dagang Negara Indonesia – “BDNI”)’s loans to pond livestock cultivators underwritten by PT Dipasena Citra Darmadja and PT Wachyuni Mandira and approved of the Shareholder Obligation Satisfaction Note, even though Sjamsul had not actually discharged of his obligations. It is a case of misrepresentation, as there was an effort to create the appearance of smooth repayment of debts.
The judges have declared BDNI as a Suspended Operations Bank (Bank Beku Operasi – “BBO”). The management of their assets is being performed by the Mitigation Team appointed by the Group Head of Bank Restructuring. BDNI was also named as a bank that performed illegal actions or unfair transactions that benefitted Sjamsul Nursalim. Syafruddin’s actions through BLBI have caused the State a loss of IDR 4.5 trillion to the benefit of Sjamsul Nursalim. (dsy)