BPK TO SUMMON FINANCE MINISTER, BI GOVERNOR OVER BANK CENTURY

Jakarta, Sept 15 (ANTARA) - State Audit Board (BPK) Chairman Anwar Nasution said he will soon summon Finance Minister Sri Mulyani and Bank Indonesia (central bank) Acting Governor Darmin Nasution for questioning on the Bank Century case.

"I will soon call them, the BI governor and the finance minister. The sooner, the better," the BPK chief said here Tuesday.

He said BPK had since last June 5, 2009 received a letter from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) requesting an examination of Bank Century but because there was resistance from Bank Indonesia on legal grounds, the board could only conduct a preliminary investigative audit on August 26, 2009.

Nasution said jokingly "At the time, I asked the acting Bank Indonesia governor :'Darmin, do you want to be questioned by the BPK or KPK.'"
He added, on September 1, 2009, the BPK also received a written request from the House of Representatives (DPR) for an investigative audit on Bank Century.

The BPK was now in the process of handling the Bank Century case under Nasution's personal guidance. "I have assumed the lead in the probe. I myself will take responsibility," he said.

But Nasution said he could not promise the investigative audit would be completed before the Idul Fitri holidays. "But on September 30 at least , we will present an interim report, and hopefully, the whole task will be wrapped up before October 19, 2009 when my term as BPK chief expires," he said.
He said he had already summoned the executive director of the Savings Insurance Institute (LPS), Firdaus Djaelani, and a member of the Financial Sector Stabilization Committee (KSSK), Raden Pardede.
The LPS was the agency that had provided the Rp6.7 trillion in funds injected into Bank Century ostensibly to save it from collapse while the KSSK was the authority that had recomended the private bank's rescue to prevent a systemic banking crisis.

Nasution said, in its audit on Bank Century, the BPK would focus on the process of its formation (merger of three banks), how it obtained its operating lincense, how it obtained Short-Term Financing Facility (FPJP) funds, various suspected bank regulation violations, and how its bailout funds totaling Rp6.7 trillion were channeled and spent.

"We will not make an evaluation of the government's policy on the bank because it is a debatable matter. We will only focus on the data underlying the government's policy," BPK member Hasan Bisri said.