YLBHI ASKS CENTURY INQUIRY COMMITTEE TO REPORT TO PUBLIC

Jakarta, Jan 19 (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Legal Aid Institute Foundation (YLBHI) has asked the House committee investigating the controversial Bank Century bailout to give an initial report to the public.

"We have asked the committee to give an initial report to the public with regard to its investigation before its final report is taken to the plenary," YLBHI board chairman Patra M Zen said here on Tuesday.

He said since the establishment of the committee by the House of Representatives on December 4, 1999 no construction of legal case had been made such as alleged violations of rules in the bailout.

YLBHI also considered that not all 30 members of the committee had worked objectively and professionally and some of them had even violated the House Code of Ethics requiring members to be polite and serious in the committee's proceedings.

"Even some of them have given the impression of taking advantage by giving the public information which is not based on facts," he said.

He said the right to inquiry is the right of the politicians in the parliament to seek information, to clarify and collect proofs on a policy allegedly running against the law.

"The absence of deals on legal case construction has caused the inquiry process not maximal even the committee to lose its legitimacy," he said.

He said the committee members were like police investigators who did not find a case against a suspect or who were not united in conducting the investigation.

"The investigators have even not put the allegations in the summons to witnesses moreover the suspects," he said.

According to YLBHI, one of the legal case politicians supporting the setting up of the committee tried to construct was that the House of Representatives had rejected the Government Regulation in lieu of Law (Perppu) Number 4 of 2008 on Financial System Safety Net (JPSK) but it actually ran against the House Speaker's Letter Number LG.01.02/9319/DPR RI/XII/2009 dated December 24, 2008 regarding the decision of the plenary meeting on December 18, 2009.

Patra said the letter clearly only carried a demand for the government to immediately submit a bill on JPSK before January 19, 2009.

"The letter is not rejecting the implementation of the Perppu," he said.

In view of that YLBHI urged the House of Representatives to immediately clarify Perppu Number 4 of 2008 in view of the House Speaker's letter which did not reject it.

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