Mulyani to face House Century team

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati will meet for the first time Tuesday with the House of Representatives’ inquiry committee into the Bank Century bailout.

Mulyani played a key role in deciding on the Rp 6.76 trillion (US$716 million) bailout, along with then Bank Indonesia governor and current Vice President Boediono, during a meeting of the Financial System Stability Committee (KSSK) in November 2008.

The bailout figure was 10 times the initial estimate.

“We’re going to focus on her capacity as the chairwoman of the KSSK at the time,” House committee deputy chairman Mahfudz Siddiq, from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), said Wednesday in Jakarta.

“She had the right to veto the bailout, but why, after she had doubts over the need to salvage the bank, did she finally authorize the bailout?"

Committee member Akbar Faisal, from the People's Conscience Party (Hanura), said the committee would look for inconsistencies in Mulyani's testimony by comparing it with previous testimonies given by Boediono.