AGO grills Bank BJB boss

JAKARTA. Investigators from the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) questioned Bank BJB president director Bien Subiantoro at the West Java Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday.

Bien was questioned as a witness in the purchase of floors at the T-Tower on Jl. Gatot Subroto Kav. 93 in Jakarta as the bank’s headquarters.

So far, the AGO has named two suspects, Bank BJB’s head of general affairs division Wawan Indrawan and director of PT Comradindo Lintasnusa Perkasa, Tri Wiyaksa.

“Bien is still just a witness. There are two suspects, Wawan and Tri,” said Fadil Zumhanna who leads the AGO investigation team.

The case started when publicly listed Bank BJB agreed to buy 14 out of 27 floors at the T-Tower, which has yet begin construction. The bank’s team then conducted negotiations with Comradindo who deemed as the owner of the land.

The bank agreed to buy the land at Rp 543.4 billion (US$47.93 million) and the board of directors agreed to pay a down payment of 40 percent or Rp 217.36 billion on Nov. 12, 2012. The remainder would be paid in a year with a monthly installments of Rp 27.17 billion.

Irregularities were later found in the transaction. For example, the land status was prone to disputes as it was believed that another company owned the land and that the price was way above market value, in addition, the disbursement of the down payment violated regulations.

West Java Prosecutors’ Office chief, Sugiyanto, confirmed the questioning of Bien but said the two-day questioning was under the AGO’s jurisdiction. Also questioned was former president director and former commissioner Agus Ruswendi.

“I was questioned as a witness on the plan to buy the BJB Tower in Jakarta. They asked me my authority as a comissioner,” he said after being grilled by AGO investigators.

He said the plan was already there for quite sometime but was implemented during Bien’s tenure.

“The initial plan assessed the value at Rp 550 billion,” Agus said who stepped down as president director in 2011. (The Jakarta Post)