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Standard Chartered Faces Fresh Hurdle In Indonesian Loan Repayment - Report

This publication brings latest news of developments in the Asian wealth management sector.
Standard
Chartered, which is trying to recoup a $1 billion loan to one
of Indonesia's richest men, faces further problems because a
Jakarta court excluded it from a key creditor list and raised
doubts over the validity of the underlying deal, Reuters
reported.
The $1 billion loan was made to mining tycoon Samin Tan's coal
firm, Borneo Lumbung Energi & Metal Tbk. It was one of the
bank's largest exposures to a single borrower, the report said,
quoting unnamed sources. Backed by Tan's coal assets, it was
approved in 2011, helping Tan buy out a rival billionaire's stake
in a now defunct miner, Bumi.
Standard Chartered declined to comment to
WealthBriefingAsia on the matter.
The UK-listed bank, which earns the bulk of its revenues in
regions such as Asia, has pushed to get the Tan funds back. It
sought to join the list of creditors after Borneo's largest mine
suspended repayments and sought protection.
But its demand for repayment was thrown out last week by the
Jakarta court administering the debt plan for the mine, Asmin
Koalindo Tuhup (AKT). The court said it was unclear the Standard
Chartered loan was used to develop AKT.
Court documents obtained by the news service showed that the
bank's claim for more than $628 million from AKT was rejected. A
similar request for $104 million made by Singapore trader Noble
was also turned down.
Standard Chartered did not comment on whether the Borneo loan is part of a portfolio of $20 billion it has already earmarked for disposal, the report said. The bank declined to comment on Borneo and Tan as it does not talk about individual clients.