Bukit Asam encouraged to sue BNI

The House of Representatives commission VIII has encouraged state coal mining operator PT Batu Bara Bukit Asam to go ahead with its plan to sue state Bank BNI over its involvement in tax manipulation carried out by the coal mining company's employees.

The call was part of recommendations issued by the House commission after a hearing with the company's executive on Monday night.

Earlier in the hearing the company's president Sunardi said that the plan to sue the state bank had been raised at the office of the state minister for state enterprises and investment development. But they seemed not so happly with the plan, he added.

Th House commission members said that the suit against the bank should be made to create a good business climate in the country and improve transparency in state companies' operations.

Reports have said that three employees at the coal mining company had manipulated tax payment and managed to collect more than Rp 37.5 billion from the tax scam.

Sunardi said that the three employees carried out their crime in cooperation with Bank BNI's employees. "Without the help of the bank's employees, it will have been impossible to deviate the company's tax payment," he added.

He said that the three employees, which were allegedly involved in the tax fraud, had been sacked but the measure was not enough if Bank BNI received no punishment at all. (*)