HOUSE BANK CENTURY COMMITTEE TO RE-SUMMON FIVE BI OFFICIALS

Jakarta, Jan 7 ( ANTARA) - The House Bank Century Inquiry Committee on Thursday morning will re-summon five Central Bank (BI) high officials and former functionaries for questioning at Parliament building.

Chief of the committee, Idrus Marham ,said two of the Central Bank officials to be questioned at 10.00 west Indonesian time (WIB) were BI's Deputy Governors Budi Mulia and Muliaman D Hadad.

The other three BI officials former Director for Bank Supervision Zainal Abidin, Director of Banking Research and Regulation Halim Alamsyah and Vice Director for Bank Supervision Heru Kristiana would be questioned at noon.

"We will question them more about the 2001 merging of three ailing banks into Bank Century," he said, adding that the committee would finish their investigation over the three bank's merger and BI's Short Term Funding Facility (FPJP) given to Century Bank on Thursday (Jan 7).

"The house committee will have an internal meeting tonight to issue some provisional conclusions over the merger and FPJP theme. We expect all issues related to Century Bank case will be clarified to the related authorities before the end of the committee's working period on March 4, 2010," Idrus said.

The house committee, based on several agendas set up in the internal meeting last Monday (Jan 4), was also scheduled to question Century Bank's former owner Robert Tantular today.

On Wednesday (Jan 6), the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) examined another BI official, Budi Armanto, (director with the Directorate of Bank Supervision) in connection with the Century Bank bailout case especially about Mandatory Supervisory Actions (MSA).

MSA refers to actions to improve a bank following a notification from the central bank that the capital adequacy ratio of the bank concerned is already minus and therefore the bank is put under supervision.

The questions are about MSA," Budi said after the grilling.

He said KPK investigators have asked about the steps that have been taken by the Century Bank management after the bank was put under central bank supervision.

Budi had also been questioned about the withdrawal of funds in the bank by affiliated parties or those connected with the bank's shareholders.