Vice President Boediono to Testify at Court

Jakarta (Antara) - Vice President Boediono will testify at court investigating Bank Century corruption case with former deputy governor of Bank Indonesia Budi Mulya as the suspect. Boediono was the governor of the central bank which provided short term loan facility (FPJP) for Bank Century and named the ailing bank as a failed lender that could trigger run on banks in 2008-2009. The government defended the policy of bailing out the bank to prevent a systemic impact amid global financial crisis but it was decided as illegal by the House of Representatives "Boediono will be summoned to testify. Equality before the law," KMS Roni, the chief prosecutor of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) said after reading the indictment at first session against Budi Mulia of the Jakarta Anti Corruption Court on Thursday. KPK already questioned Boediono at the Vice Presidential office on Nov. 23 in 2013. Roni told the court on Thursday the defendant (Budi Mulya) together with Boediono, senior deputy governor Miranda Swaray Goeltom and other deputy governors of the central bank in granting the short term loan facility for Bank Century allegedly cause a state loss worth Rp689.39 billion. Roni said former Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, now World Bank managing director, will also be summoned to testify in the case. He said the difference between Budi Mulya and other leaders of the central bank is his active role and his receiving Rp1 billion from a Bank Century owner Robert Tantular, who is already convicted. "We will see the role played by each of them to be unveiled in in the process of court investigations," Roni said. Bank Indonesia revised its regulation to make Bank Century entitled to the loan facility of Rp689.39 billion. The central bank decision naming Bank Century a failed lender with systemic impact led to government bailing out the bank causing a total loss of Rp6.76 trillion to the state. The fund was traced back to the banks owners including foreign shareholders Hesham Talaat Mohamed Besheer Alwarraq and Rafat Ali Rizvi now at large and Robert Tantular now serving a jail term. (*)