Bank Indonesia deputy governor Budi Rochadi said an internal audit team had questioned four officials for their alleged involvement in a bribery case over the printing of Rp 100,000 bills in Australia.
“The internal audit team has summoned four people from staff to director levels for questioning over the printing of the Rp 100,000 bills,” he said in Jakarta on Thursday as quoted by the state Antara news agency.
Budi said several others still had yet to be questioned in the same case. “There is a little problem with the team because its members have all retired and so it takes time to invite them to come,” he said.
He said a tender for the printing of bills was done by the directorate of money circulation and did not involve the board members.
Budi said the printing of the bills in Australia by Securency International and Note Printing Australia (a subsidiary of the Reserve Bank of Australia) was based upon a direct appointment.
“Until now the process has been considered to be in line with the regulation and has also been audited by the BPK (Supreme Audit Board),” he said.
Budi however asked the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), the House of Representatives or others to conduct auditing on it if they thought it was necessary.
He said the case actually was already out of date and last year the Age (Australian newspaper) had already reported it but without mentioning Indonesia.
“It was only yesterday (Tuesday, May 24 2010) that it mentioned Indonesia,” he said.
Budi said the bank had already made contacts with the Reserve Bank of Australia, the Securency International and Note Printing Australia, but not with the Australian Federal Police yet.
“It was us that had contacted them to ask for information about it. The Australian side has not contacted us,” he said.
The Age earlier reported two BI officials were alleged to have been involved in a bribery case worth US$1.3 million in connection with the printing of Rp 100,000 bills. The two officials are known by their initials as S and M.
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