Committee members demand Yudhoyono attend Century probe

A number of members of the parliamentary committee on the controversial bailout say they want explanations from the very top regarding the Bank Century case.

The members demanding President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono testify are from parties outside the coalition supporting the President's minor Democratic Party.

"There are enough reasons to ask for clarification from President Yudhoyono," committee member Akbar Faisal from the People's Conscience Party (Hanura) said, as quoted by vivanews.com on Friday.

Akbar said one issue which needed to be clarified was a statement from Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, who said she had sent a text message to Yudhoyono and then vice president Jusuf Kalla to report the bailout decision.

On Friday, Kalla had told the committee he had never read the message.

Gayus Lumbuun from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) also said the President knew of the decision to bail out the bank, which had eventually cost the state Rp 6.76 trillion (US$716 million), a tenfold leap from the initial estimate.

If found responsible for a wrong decision, technically the House of Representatives could propose to the Constitutional Court to put the President on trial, if it gains agreement from at least two-thirds of the 560 House members.

The court decision on whether the President has violated the law would then be brought to a plenary of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), the highest body.

The MPR could then legally impeach the President based on an agreement of two-thirds of those present, who must constitute at least two-thirds of the MPR's 692 members.

However, the coalition of the President's Democratic Party holds 75 percent of seats in the House.

On Friday, Kalla also said Sri Mulyani had told him she had felt "fooled" by the central bank.

The minister had told the committee on Wednesday that although Bank Indonesia's data on Century was "unsatisfactory", she had no regrets about the decision, made at the height of the global financial crisis.

Yudhoyono was in Washington when the bailout decision was made on Nov. 21, 2008, while Kalla was acting president. Presidential spokesman Julian A. Pasha said Yudhoyono was not yet aware of a possibility of his being summoned.

Activists from the Saving State Assets (KPKN) group handed over a letter to the inquiry committee, demanding they summon Yudhoyono.

KPKN coordinator Marwan Batubara, a former member of the Regional Representatives Council, said Yudhoyono's willingness to testify would show his commitment to fighting corruption in his first 100 days in office.

The committee is scheduled on Monday to summon Marsilam, a former head of the presidential working unit for reform management, and acting BI Governor Darmin Nasution.

Parties in the coalition, including the National Mandate Party (PAN), the United Development Party (PPP) and the National Awakening Party (PKB) have strongly rejected demands to summon Yudhoyono for questioning.

"There is no data showing his involvement in the bailout," PAN member Chandra Tirta Wijaya said.