The Prosecutor's Office Reveals Allegations Of Bank Jatim Corruption Of Rp25 Billion, 2 People Become Suspects

PHOTO VIA ANTARA

SURABAYA - The East Java High Prosecutor's Office (Kejati) revealed an alleged corruption case at PT Bank Jatim Syariah Branch Sidoarjo worth Rp25 billion.

Head of the Legal Information Section of the East Java Prosecutor's Office, Fathur Rohman, said two people had been named suspects in the alleged corruption case of Bank Jatim.

"Each of the suspects is Yuniwati Kuswandari (60 years old), a resident of Sepande Village, Sidoarjo and Ario Ardianzah (38), a resident of Sukolilo District, Surabaya. Tonight we immediately arrested him," he said, as quoted by Antara, Wednesday, January 5.

Suspect Yuniwati is a canteen manager at PT Astra Sedaya Finance Surabaya I. However, she was previously recorded since 1993 as having worked as a finance and banking staff at PT Astra Sedaya Finance Surabaya I until retiring in 2016.

Meanwhile, the suspect Ario Ardianzah is a financing analyst at the Sidoarjo Sharia Bank Jatim Branch.

East Java Prosecutor's Office investigators revealed that the suspect Yuniwati applied for multipurpose financing to PT Bank Jatim Sharia Branch Sidoarjo using the names of employees of PT Astra Sedaya Finance Surabaya I.

The financing requirements are provided by Yuniwati by asking for a copy of the identity card (KTP), family card (KK), and the identity card of the employee who submitted the application.

A number of documents as requirements for completing the financing application, including salary slips and letters of recommendation were obtained by suspect Yuniwati through Hendrik as Branch Manager of PT Astra Sedaya Finance Surabaya I.

Fathur confirmed that PT Astra Sedaya Finance Surabaya Branch Manager I Hendrik had been named a suspect with a wanted list (DPO) or fugitive status.

"Documents for completing the application for financing, such as the salary account for Bank Permata, the letter of appointment as an employee of PT Astra Sedaya Finance Surabaya I, are all incorrect. Allegedly they were all forged," he said.

Some of the signatures of the financing applicant were also not signed by the employee concerned, there was even an employee identity card number submitted in the financing application that was not registered in the PT Astra Sedaya Finance Surabaya I data system.

According to Fathur, the multipurpose financing process for employees of PT Astra Sedaya Finance Surabaya I was not in accordance with the provision of financing provided for by the Bank Jatim financing guidelines.

"The suspect Ario Ardianzah did not carry out his duties as an analyst at PT Bank Jatim Syariah Sidoarjo Branch. The provision of credit that did not comply with these procedures resulted in outstanding bad loans as of August 31, 2021, amounting to Rp25,573,332,149.00 or Rp25 billion more," he said.

This is the second corruption case at Bank Jatim with a fictitious credit mode handled by the East Java Attorney General's Office in the past year.

Previously, the East Java Prosecutor's Office revealed a fictitious credit corruption case at Bank Jatim Kepanjen Branch, Malang Regency, which according to the calculation of the Finance and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP) Representative of East Java Province had cost the state Rp170 billion.

In this case, the East Java Prosecutor's Office named six suspects. Some of the suspects are currently entering the trial process at the Surabaya Corruption Court (Tipikor).