Government Ensures 1997 SEA Games Debt Case Continues Even Though Bambang Trihatmodjo Withdraws Lawsuit

Hutomo Mandala Putra alias Tommy Suharto. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The government, through the Ministry of Finance, has ensured that the case of debts and funds for the 1997 SEA Games with Bambang Trihatmodjo will continue despite the latest developments stating that Bambang has withdrawn the lawsuit against the State Secretariat.

This assurance was conveyed directly by the Director General of State Assets of the Ministry of Finance Rionald Silaban in a webinar today.

"So we are still running the process," he said on Friday, July 30.

In his notes, the son of the second Indonesian President had filed a lawsuit against the State Administrative Court (PTUN) to the State Secretariat at the end of last month. However, Bambang's party then withdrew the lawsuit in mid-July.

"Indeed there have been developments, on June 28 (Bambang) had filed for the Administrative Court, but then on July 14 the lawsuit was withdrawn again," he said.

To note, this case began when Indonesia was appointed to host the 1997 SEA Games in Jakarta. The government supports the establishment of the 1997 SEA Games Organizing Partner Consortium (KMP), chaired by Bambang Trihatmodjo.

KMP itself is in charge of raising funds from various parties to smooth out the title of the biggest sporting event in Southeast Asia. It is said that the consortium stated that there was a lack of funds so that the government at that time injected Rp. 35 billion to achieve the intended goal.

The government views that the bailout fund is a debt that must be returned to the state because it is given to the private sector (KMP). In fact, this fund has an interest rate of about 5 percent per year. As a result, the amount to be returned swelled to Rp54 billion today.

Actually, the Minister of Finance (Minister of Finance) Sri Mulyani had collected the debt in 2019. However, Bambang was allegedly reluctant to fulfill this because he did not feel he was one of the private parties involved in the KMP. As a result, this issue is rolling on the court as a middle way to find a solution.