Indonesia to recover US$81.7 mln in stolen assets from HK

JAKARTA, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian Attorney General's Office (AGO) is set to recover assets of 81.7 million U.S. dollars in Hong Kong that were siphoned away by late corruption convict Hendra Rahardja, local press reported Wednesday.

The stolen assets would be returned to Indonesia through the Australian government, The Jakarta Post reported.

The recovery was facilitated by the New South Wales Supreme Court in Australia, which had ordered the South East Group in Hong Kong to hand over Hendra's assets to Australia, reported the English-language daily.

"We're now waiting for the return of the assets. We've sent ourbank account to the Australian government," Deputy Attorney General Mochtar Arifin, who also heads the Corruptor Hunter Team, was quoted as saying.

The Australian government has earlier asked the Indonesian government to open a bank account to collect Hendra's assets. The Justice and Human Rights Ministry responded by opening an account at state-owned BRI bank.

The Central Jakarta District Court sentenced Hendra, former president commissioner of PT Bank Harapan Sentosa (BHS), to life imprisonment in March 2002. He was proven guilty of misappropriation of Bank Indonesia Liquidity Support (BLBI) funds worth 211.3 million dollars in an absentia trial.

Hendra reportedly fled to Australia to avoid the punishment. Hedied in Sydney in 2003.