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Showing posts from May, 2007

Bigger Fish Yet to Fry

Vincent is being tried for money laundering and forgery. This may make people afraid of being whistle blowers. Vincentius Amin Sutanto knew with whom he was dealing. To his lawyer, the former financial controller of Asian Agri Group, born in Singkawang on January 21, 1963, requested that the case he was mired in not be tried yet. “To assist the investigation into the case that he reported,” said Petrus Bala Pattyona, Vincentius’s lawyer. Vincent, his nickname, reported suspicions of tax evasion committed by Asian Agri Group, one of the major companies belonging to Raja Garuda Mas owned by Sukanto Tanoto, to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). Afterwards, on December 14, 2006, he surrendered himself to the Jakarta Police, after being hunted down for embezzling company money. However, his request was denied. His case was handed over to the West Jakarta District Court. On Monday of last week, the agenda entered the witness examination phase. Vincent is being tried for suspicions

Teri Masuk, Hiu Belum Dapat

Vincent diadili dengan dakwaan melakukan pencucian uang dan memalsu tanda tangan. Bisa membuat orang takut menjadi whistle blower. Vincentius Amin Sutanto tahu siapa yang dihadapinya. Kepada pengacaranya, bekas financial controller Asian Agri Group kelahiran Singkawang 21 Januari 1963 itu minta kasus yang membelitnya tak diadili lebih dulu. ”Biar bisa membantu pengusutan kasus yang dilaporkannya,” kata Petrus Bala Pattyona, pengacara Vincentius. Vincent, panggilan akrab Vincentius, melaporkan dugaan penggelapan pajak Asian Agri Group, salah satu perusahaan induk Raja Garuda Mas milik Sukanto Tanoto, ke Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi. Kemudian, pada 14 Desember 2006, ia menyerahkan diri ke Polda Metro Jaya, setelah diburu karena menggelapkan uang perusahaan. Tapi permintaan agar dirinya tidak diadili dulu tak dikabulkan. Kasusnya telah dilimpahkan ke Pengadilan Negeri Jakarta Barat. Pada Senin pekan lalu, agendanya menginjak pemeriksaan saksi. Vincent diadili karena diduga melakukan pembo

Surat Rahasia Orang Dalam

Kwik Kian Gie diperiksa kejaksaan berkaitan dengan dugaan korupsi program Jaring Pengaman Sosial. Pemerintah terpaksa mengembalikan dana yang sebelumnya dikucurkan Bank Dunia. ADA pekerjaan rumah yang kini sedang dikebut Kejaksaan Tinggi Jakarta, yaitu kasus dugaan korupsi dana hibah Proyek Penguatan dan Pengaman Program Jaring Pengaman Sosial. Sedikitnya sudah 15 saksi yang diperiksa tim penyidik kejaksaan untuk memastikan siapa yang layak diajukan ke meja hijau dalam kasus ini. “Sampai kini kami masih mendalami dokumen dan hasil pemeriksaan,” kata Kepala Kejaksaan Tinggi DKI Jakarta, Darmono, Jumat pekan lalu. Dana hibah bank dunia ini menjadi pembicaraan setelah kejaksaan mulai memeriksa para pejabat Badan Perencanaan Pembangunan Nasional (Bappenas), termasuk bekas kepalanya, Kwik Kian Gie. Dalam proyek senilai Rp 5,1 miliar tersebut, Bank Dunia menaksir Rp 1,8 miliar yang dikorupsi. Bank Dunia menuntut dana itu dikembalikan dan pemerintah akhirnya memenuhinya. Kasus ini mulai diusu

Double Trouble

Temasek is suspected to have violated the ban on monopoly over double ownership of shares in Indosat and Telkomsel. IN the coming weeks Nawir Messi will be very busy. This member of the Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU) will start questioning a number of individuals suspected of unsound business practices in the cellular telephone industry. “We’ve decided to summons them,” he said Wednesday last week. Those mentioned are names familiar to businessmen in communications, specifically cellphones—Temasek, Telkomsel and Indosat. Nawir Messi himself is appointed as the head of the team examining the monopoly case of the giant communications business. The KPPU is indeed looking into the suspected violation of Law No. 5/1999 (banning monopoly and unhealthy business competition) by Temasek Holdings for double ownership of shares in Telkomsel and Indosat. Meanwhile, Telkomsel is under investigation because of its dominance over the market. The case surfaced after the United Stat

Stories from the North

NORTH Korea-a land of mystery. Under the leadership of Kim Il-sung the country lived in isolation from the world outside. In 2000, it slowly opened up under the Great Leader's son Kim Yong-il. What is the country like today? Tempo reporter Abdul Manan recently visited North Korea and filed this report. THE 28-year-old woman is glad that she's not among about 10 million South Koreans separated from their families in the North after the Korean War from 1950 to 1953. Kris Shin has no family in the North to miss. "This is my first visit to the North," said Kris, a guide on our current tour of North Korea. On March 14, we participants of a conference on peace and reconciliation which was jointly organized by the International Federation of Journalists Association, were visiting North Korea or the People's Democratic Republic of Korea as it's officially called. I was among 100 journalists from 70 countries who crossed the border in six buses into Kumgang, a mountain

The Economic Road to Reunification

North Korea chalked up significant economic growth in recent years thanks to reconciliation with the South. But Pyongyang's nuclear development remains a stumbling block to reunification. THE Korean Peninsula is a land with many monuments dedicated to peace and reconciliation. At least three such monuments are found in Paju in the northernmost district of South Korea: Bell of Peace, Bridge of Freedom and Reunification Monument. These monuments are an expression of a desire of the citizens in both North and South Korea for peace, freedom and reunification. The Korean Peninsula was divided into two states by foreign powers at the end of World War II. The northern part, North Korea, was supported by the Soviet Union and the southern part, South Korea, by the United States. The two Koreas fought a bitter war from 1950 to 1953. Since then the Korean Peninsula has been one of the hottest spots in the world. But the spirit of brotherhood remained alive among the people of the two Koreas.

Tourism in the DMZ

South Korea offers visits to the demilitarized zone, including a tunnel reportedly built by North Korea to infiltrate the South. DMZ-Panmunjeom. The words appeared yellow and white against a backdrop of red in a brochure published by Grace Travel. I got a copy of the brochure from the Tourist Information Center at the corner of Namdeaemunno Street in Seoul, capital of South Korea. Yes, besides beautiful and exotic scenery, South Korea is also offering a demilitarized zone as a tourist attraction. The DMZ, short for Demilitarized Zone, came into existence at the end of the Korean War in 1953. Extending 248 kilometers from west to east, the zone is 2 kilometers deep into North Korea and 2 kilometers into South Korea. It's divided along a demarcation line. Three tourist spots are offered: Third Infiltration Tunnel, Dora Observatory and Panmunjeom. All three are located on the western side of the demilitarized zone. Paju, located about 40 kilometers from Seoul, is the entry point. I wa