Aditya Suharmoko and Mustaqim Adamrah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 10/20/2009 1:22 PM
The new members of the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) sworn in Monday face the immediate task of finishing the final audit of Bank Century's burgeoning bailout that sparked vociferous public criticism.
The only member re-elected is Hasan Bisri, who was involved in the audit of Bank Century's bailout that reached Rp 6.76 trillion (US$718.96 million), demanded by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the previous members of the House of Representatives.
Outgoing BPK chairman Anwar Nasution said in a press conference Monday that within one and a half months of taking the Century case, the BPK had finished 70 percent of it.
"It is good that we have finished 70 percent of the audit *within such a short time*," he said.
The new BPK members are Hadi Purnomo, Rizal Djalil, Moermahadi Soerja Djanegara, Taufiequrahman Ruki, Muhamad Nurlif and Ali Masykur Musa.
They replaced Anwar Nasution, the late Abdullah Zainie, Imran, I Gusti Agung Rai, Baharuddin Aritonang and Ir. Gen. (ret.) Udju Djuhaeri.
Two BPK members, Herman Widyananda and Sapto Amal Damandari, will end their term in 2012.
On Sept. 28, the BPK handed the interim audit of Bank Century to the House, which fired its last shot at the last plenary session.
Lawmaker A. Hafiz Zawawi urged law enforcers to investigate the case for alleged violations by officials at the Financial System Stability Committee (KSSK) - comprising the Finance Ministry, the central bank and the Deposit Insurance Corporation (LPS) - when they made the decision to bail out the bank on Nov. 20 last year.
He urged the BPK to track the Rp 6.76 trillion bailout fund, while calling on new House members to follow the case through.
New House members, dominated by legislators from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party, began its term on early October.
Hasan Bisri said it would take time to track where the fund had been channelled. "A valid reason is needed for the Financial Transaction Analysis and Report Center *PPATK* to open a bank account."
He said, however, the BPK "Will re-evaluate the case. *The finalization of the final audit* will depend on how many layers we want to go through to track the channelled fund. It may take a long time."
There are 100 accounts that need to be examined, he added.
Responding to the central bank's statement that he was involved in the merger of Century in 2004 from three troubled banks (Danpac, Pikko and CIC), Anwar Nasution said "*The merger* was in December 2004, while I left Bank Indonesia in July 2004."
Anwar said a few days before he left, Anton Tarihoran, who was at BI's directorate of banking supervision I, made two notes to force the merger of Century. The notes recommended two allowances: Categorizing bad medium-term notes in Dresdner Bank, which would be used as Century's capital, as good securities; and delaying the sanction of the so-called "fit-and-proper" test of Century's management.
However, BI reminded the bank to ask its shareholders to handle the bad notes and anticipate any risks that might undermine the bank.
Century has rebranded itself, changing its name to Bank Mutiara, effective from October.
