BNI Emphasizes Swadharma Cooperative is Not Part of the Bank

These are some of the products of Koperasi Swadharma. (Koperasi Swadharma)

JAKARTA - PT Bank Negara Indonesia (Persero) Tbk or BNI confirmed that Swadharma Pematangsiantar Cooperative is not part of the company. This affirmation was conveyed to straighten out public perceptions related to the case involving the cooperative.

BNI Corporate Secretary Okki Rushartomo explained that Swadharma Cooperative was established in 2007 through its own establishment act and has an independent management structure and operational management outside BNI.

"The cooperative is intended for internal employees, not for the general public. All operational activities and decisions are the responsibility of the cooperative managers," Okki said in a written statement to VOI.

In practice, the cooperative is suspected of offering savings products to parties outside members with returns ranging from 1.5% to 2% per month. This activity is not in line with the provisions of the Articles of Association and House of Representatives (AD/ART) of the cooperative. In addition, in this case there are also indications of document forgery.

This condition, coupled with the existence of cooperatives that previously operated in the BNI office environment, also triggered confusion in public perception. To prevent similar things, since 2016 BNI has taken steps by prohibiting cooperatives from operating in the BNI office area.

Since the beginning of the case, BNI has consistently emphasized that the legal relationship of depositors is with the cooperative as the party offering and managing the savings product.

BNI understands that the process of resolving this case requires time and also shares the concerns of the affected community.

In the context of customer protection, BNI ensures that all customer funds remain safe and banking services run normally according to regulator provisions.

BNI also urges the public to always verify the legality of each financial product through official bank channels or authorized authorities before making fund placement.

"We fully respect the legal process that is currently underway and are committed to resolving this case in accordance with the applicable legal rulings," Okki concluded. (ADV)