Days of Indonesian tycoon fugitive numbered

WANTED Indonesian tycoon Djoko Tjandra has been a thorn in the side of the government ever since he was granted citizenship last June.
Tjandra, the former owner of the now-defunct Bank Bali, fled Jakarta a day before he was sentenced to jail for fraud by Indonesia’s Supreme Court, and is on the Interpol wanted list, was made a citizen at a secret ceremony in Port Moresby last year.
The constitution and associated regulations of PNG require new citizens to be resident in the country for eight years.
They also include a number of other stringent conditions, inclu­ding strictly policed financial probity.
Tjandra, 61, was first charged with corruption in 1999, over A$57 million which he allegedly received illegally via Pande Lubis, who was the deputy chairman of the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency set up following the Asian financial crisis.
Pande was convicted in 2004 and jailed for four years, over his misuse of Bank Bali funds. Tjandra was acquitted.
But under a new chief justice, the Supreme Court granted the prosecutor’s request for a review of the case.
As a result, in June 2009, former central bank governor Syahril Sabirin was jailed for two years.
Two days later, and a day before Tjandra was to return to court for its verdict and possible sentencing, he fled. The court this time convicted and sentenced him, also to two years’ jail, in absentia.
He was ordered in addition to repay the A$57 million he received over the sale of Bank Bali debt collection rights.
He flew in a private jet to PNG, where associated family members own a large conglomerate, Papindo Trading, which is an especially large retailer, owning Super Value Stores.
When Tjandra fled, Indonesian attorney-general’s office spokesman Jasman Pandjaitan said: “We’ve asked Interpol to help us to bring Djoko back to serve his sentence.”
It is believed that he has split his time since then, chiefly between Singapore, Malaysia, Dubai and PNG as well as Taiwan and Japan, obtaining visas for the latter two by changing his name to Joe Chan according to the Chief Secretary to the Government, Manasupe Zurenuoc,  yesterday.
Tjandra was also understood to have last year been flown between Malaysia and PNG, which meant travelling through Indonesian air space – and provoking a diplomatic incident.
Prime Minister Peter O’Neill and his then deputy, Belden Namah, instructed their foreign affairs and immigration departments on the eve of last year’s general election to withdraw the citizenship granted to Tjandra.
O’Neill said he had directed the withdrawal of Tjandra’s citizenship pending a review by the Citizenship Advisory Committee.
“I will not tolerate (the granting of citizenship) without due diligence in screening the people applying,” he said.
Namah, now the leader of the opposition in parliament, went further, saying: “Whoever gave him the citizenship will be dealt with by the full force of the law.”
Namah said a chartered jet in which he was flying over Indonesia six months ago was buzzed by two Indonesian air force fighters because it was suspected of carrying Tjandra.
But the then foreign affairs and immigration minister, Ano Pala, said he was satisfied Tjandra met all the requirements for citizenship: “Our primary interest in Djoko is his investments in our country.”
He had approved Tjandra’s citizenship on recommendation from the Citizen Advisory Committee.
“He’s not a fugitive, he’s not a criminal. He had a civil case, he was not found guilty of a criminal offence and that is the information we got from our High Commissioner,” Pala told Radio Australia’s Pacific Beat.
“That is the information that went to the citizenship advisory committee and on the basis of their recommendation citizenship was granted.”
He said Tjandra “is a good businessman, an investor and a good person to be considered a citizen of Papua New Guinea”.
Indonesia has since been at loggerheads with Papua New Gui­nea since Tjandra found a refuge
here.
Jakarta, which has no extradition treaty with Port Moresby, made several efforts to secure Tjandra’s return, including by sending an official letter and through mutual legal assistance procedures. 
They also sent a team to Port Moresby late last year to discuss Tjandra’s repatriation which did not bear fruit.
The Indonesian government will certainly greet with the delight yesterday’s news that Waigani has moved decisively to revoke Tjandra’s citizenship. – Agencies