The orders to investigate the two, respectively identified by their initials as HN and GA, were issued on July July 7, 2011.Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Attorney General`s Office has named former Merpati Nusantara (MNA)`s president director and finance director suspects in an alleged graft case related to the leasing of Boeing 737-400 and 737-500 aircraft from a US company.
"The two were named suspects on August 16," the head of the law information center at the Attorney General`s Office, Noor Rachmad said on Wednesday.
The orders to investigate the two, respectively identified by their initials as HN and GA, were issued on July July 7, 2011, he said.
The investigation came after their lawyer asked the Attorney General`s Office two weeks ago to re-investigate the alleged graft case.
"We wrote to the attorney general asking the office to re-investigate the case," the lawyer, J Kamaru, said.
He said the Attorney General`s Office should have stopped the investigation on the ground that the case was a civil case.
He denied an allegation that the leasing of the two planes violated the rules because it was conducted without prior consent from the State Enterprises Ministry.
"Under the State Enterprises Ministry`s rules, the leasing of the two planes does not require approval from the state enterprises minister because it is the authority of the company," he said.
Asked about the airline company`s security deposit of US$1 million that must be returned by leasing company Thirdstone Aircraft Leasing Group (TALG), he said the money would not be lost because the Washington DC district court had ordered TALG to return it to Merpati.
"So no indication of corruption is found in this case," he said.
TALG and Merpati agreed on the Lease of Aircraft Summary of Terms (LASOT) on December 18, 2006.
However, TALG failed to deliver Boeing 737-400 and 737-500 planes to Merpati.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
