DPR"s Watchdog on Bank Century to Summon Boediono

Jakarta (Antara) - The House of Representatives (DPR)'s team of watchdog on Bank Century case said it may summon Vice President Boediono for the second time to explain in consistency in his earlier statement about the bail out of the bank. "Most likely, based on the agreement reached in an earlier meeting of the team, there would be a second summon for Boediono," lawmaker and member of the team Indra said here on Friday. Boediono has been implicated in the high profile case as governor of Bank Indonesia when the central bank provided short term loan facility (FPJP) for Bank Century followed with the bail out. Indra said in line with the decision at the DPR's plenary session, the team will continue to watch the process of legal investigations of the bailout now being handled by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). The government and Bank Indonesia defended the bail out by the state Deposit Insurance Agency (LPS), but DPR has decided the bail out in 2008 and 2009 illegal. The Supreme Audit Agency has said the bail out and short term loan facility given to the sick bank caused a total loss of Rp7.4 trillion to the state. Indra said KPK has been too slow in handling the high profile case and suspected that KPK has been intervened. "Therefore, the team will continue to watch KPK and other law enforcement agencies in handling the case until it was settled at court," he said. KPK, however, has maintained there was no intervention and pledged investigation would continue . KPK already named two former deputy governors of Bank Indonesia, Budi Mulya and Siti Chodijah Fajriah as suspects and has also questioned Boediono, who was seen by many as the most responsible in providing the FPJP. Another member of the watchdog team Bambang Soesatyo said the team would send the second letter summoning Boediono next week. Bambang said Boediono summoning is important to clarify two conflicting statements by the vice president about the bail out and the take over of Bank Century. "This is about the honesty of a leader that has to be politically explained at DPR, not a legal issue , which is the KPK's domain," he said. Bambang questioned the latest statement of Boediono calling LPS, which is accountable directly to the president, as the one responsible for bailout fund swelling from Rp632 billion to Rp6.7 trillion. "Is that means that Boediono did not want to be blamed or to be sacrificed alone?. This is a matter of perception that has to be cleared politically at DPR and not a legal issue, which is the domain of KPK," he said. He also questioned why suddenly Boediono wanted to implicate the president into the case, adding so far there had been no mention of the president having any role in the case after years of investigations. (*)