September 4, 2007 edition
SUSPICIONS of bribery by Bank Indonesia of a number of members of the House of Representatives (DPR) have been heard for some time. In 2003, an outlay of the bank’s Rp31.5 billion was discovered to have ended up in the DPR, in order to safeguard the bank’s interests. An audit by the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) uncovered the method and the cover-up.
A Tempo source explained how BI’s money to the DPR was part of a project to improve the bank’s image. The reputation of the central bank had been tarnished after a number of its top officials went on trial for corruption charges linked to the Bank Indonesia Liquidity Assistance (BLBI) program.
The project to improve the bank’s image involved legal experts, DPR members and the media. BI fully defended their officials charged with corruption, spending a total of Rp100 billion on the project. How was it all carried out? The following is the result of Tempo’s investigation.
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More Cover Story articles in other editions
August 28, 2007 edition
August 21, 2007 edition
The case review on the Munir case may implicate high-ranking officials from the State Intelligence Agency (BIN). The police plan to bring in a number of key witnesses who will confirm BIN’s involvement. They plan to tell the judges about the various scenarios devised to get rid of Munir, the activist. The pieces of the puzzle are slowly being assembled. Can this giant mystery finally be put together and the mastermind put behind bars?
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August 14, 2007 edition
August 7, 2007 edition
A domestic matter turned into a political dispute. Former DPR Deputy Speaker Zaenal Ma’arif revived a rumor which was spreading just before the 2004 General Elections, when future President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was accused of getting married before joining the military academy—something unallowable for cadets. Zaenal’s evidence is a VCD with a video testimony of a woman speaking about Yudhoyono’s purported marriage.
Although far from convincing, the video has become a hot topic. Those near the President feel that Zaenal is spreading cheap gossip. Others are enthusiastically trying to bring the matter to court. Here is a tale of political gossip and the politics of “thorny isssues.”
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July 31, 2007 edition