"Bank Indonesia gives me the impression that they just shun the meeting."Jakarta (ANTARA News) - A member of the watchdog team of the House of Representatives for Bank Century case expressed disappointment with the failure of a number of Bank Indonesia officials and former officials to attend a hearing with the team here on Wednesday.
Bambang Soesatyo, who is a lawmaker from the Golkar Party faction, said the watchdog team had invited a number of officials and former officials of the central bank to the meeting.
The watchdog team wanted clarification about alleged violation of the regulation of the central bank in providing short term loan facility for the scandal hit Bank Century.
They included Eddy Sulaiman, Yusuf, Sugeng, Dodi Budi Waluyo, and Zainal Abidin.
The watchdog team also invited former commissioners and directors of Bank Century to the meeting including Hermanus Hasan Muslim, Hamidy, Sulaiman Ahmad Basyir, Poerwanto Kamsjadi, and Rusli Prakarsa, as well as notary public Buntario Tigris, who signed the legal document for the short term loan facility for Bank Century.
The meeting this time was to ask clarification for alleged violation of central bank`s regulation related to the legal procedure of short term loan provided for Bank Century, Bambang said.
However, Bank Indonesia Governor Darmin Nasution sent a letter to the House of Representatives leaders saying that the officials of the central bank could not attend the meeting as they had to attend to other important duties.
The letter said Doddy, Zainal, and Sugeng, are preparing a meeting of the board of governors of the central bank, and Eddy Sulaiman was abroad and he is no longer working for Bank Indonesia.
"The failure of the officials of Bank Indonesia to be present at the meeting is regrettable as there are a number of facts that need clarification. Bank Indonesia gives me the impression that they just shun the meeting," he said.
The Bank Century case dates back to 2008 when the bank was robbed by its owners of all cash including funds belonging to its depositors in 2008.
Bank Indonesia, then under Governor Boediono, now Vice President, bailed out the bank with Rp6.7 trillion. The government said the measure was to prevent the scandal from triggering systemic bank rush amid the global financial crisis.
Politicians of rival factions in the House of Representatives accused the central bank of violating its own regulation in bailing out Bank Century.
They suspected the bailing out was to allow Bank Century`s big depositors, who are sympathizers of the ruling party to recover their funds from the bank ahead of the presidential election in 2009.
(Uu.H-ASG/B003)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2013
