http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/bank-century-inquiry-to-post-initial-report-to-indonesian-house/357344 February 07, 2010 Muninggar Sri Saraswati & Febriamy Hutapea
Crimes to be Alleged, But SBY in the Clear as Century Findings are Revealed to Indonesian House The House of Representatives' special committee investigating the Bank Century bailout is expected to deliver its preliminary conclusions today, and members' recent statements indicate that they include allegations that Vice President Boediono and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati have committed a number of crimes. The opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has said it has found at least 45 alleged crimes or regulatory violations, beginning with the merger that created the bank. Lawmakers have accused Bank Indonesia of weak regulation and lacking prudence from the beginning, when three banks - Bank Danpac, Bank CIC and Bank Pikko - were merged to create Century. They point to the central bank's approval in 2001 of Bahamas-registered Chinkara Capital's acquisition of the controlling stakes in the three banks that formed Bank Century, even though Chinkara failed to meet its regulatory requirements, according to a Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) report. British national Rafat Ali Rizvi controlled Chinkara, and had close links with the other major Bank Century shareholder, Robert Tantular, who is now serving a five-year prison term for fraud after embezzling money from Century customers. Rafat is a fugitive corruption defendant and scheduled to be tried in absentia in Indonesia. Before the central bank's approval of the merger was given, according to the BPK audit, the BI regulatory directorate revealed that it could not ensure that Chinkara had not been engaged in money-laundering. There were also indications of possible fraud at Bank CIC, the report said. The PDI-P has said the merger decision - which had been pushed by the central bank - had violated BI regulations considering that Chinkara had never completed its administrative documents and had not submitted a financial report for three years. The party also accused four state institutions involved in the bailout process of being responsible: Bank Indonesia, the Financial System Stability Committee (KSSK), the Coordination Committee (KK) and the Deposit Insurance Agency (LPS). The People's Conscience Party (Hanura) said that it had found 62 violations beginning with the merger process and including the bailout itself. The party blamed eight institutions it said should be held responsible for the bailout, including the LPS. Hanura will also place blame with Marsilam Simanjuntak, the chief of the President's Working Unit for the Management of Reform Programs. The Golkar Party said it had found at least 58 indications of possible crimes related to the bailout, while the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) said that it had discovered 18 alleged crimes. Those two parties, both members of the Democratic Party-led coalition, are said to be the parties that will determine how the Century case will end. Senior Golkar official Priyo Budi Santoso acknowledged that his party had been under pressure regarding the conclusion next week. "The coalition has nothing to do with Century case ... I hope it will not be linked with Century," Priyo said over the weekend. But no matter how many indications of crimes or regulatory violations have been found, none of them point to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, rendering all the recent talk of impeachment moot. The question now is, will the coalition protect Boediono and Sri Mulyani? Related articles Dangerous Questions to Be Answered As Century Investigation Wraps Up 10:26 PM 20/01/2010 AGO Looks Overseas in Hunt for $1b in Century Assets 9:27 AM 05/01/2010 Indonesian Banks Weather Downturn But Century Scandal Still Looming 8:44 PM 28/12/2009 Transparency Key In Century Investigation, Foreign Investors Say 9:13 PM 23/12/2009 Boediono Stands Firm Over Century Bailout 11:09 AM 22/12/2009
