Mulyani must answer for Bank Century case: Golkar

Former finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati will face an obstacle in her nomination for candidacy in the 2014 presidential election due to her alleged role in the Bank Century bailout case, a Golkar Party official says.

Golkar deputy treasurer Bambang Soesatyo said on Wednesday in Jakarta that although anyone could nominate Mulyani and she had a right to be nominated by anyone, the law stipulated that candidates for president and vice president should be free from problems that could potentially bring them down while leading the country.

Bambang said Mulyani's role in the bailout case had been proven by the Supreme Audit Agency and the House of Representatives through its special committee on the case formed early last year.

House members from the Golkar Party and the Prosperous Justice Party have been the staunchest supporters of a thorough probe of the Century case.

“We're now only waiting for the legal probe by the KPK [Corruption Eradication Commission],” Bambang said as quoted by Antara news agency.

He added that Mulyani should first reveal to the public what actually happened during the meetings between the government and the central bank that led to the disbursement of Rp 6.7 trillion (US$790.6 million), in contrast to the estimated Rp 632 billion.

“And [she must reveal] who ordered the bailout policy.”

Bambang made his statements in response to the newly-formed SRI Party's intention to nominate Mulyani, presently a World Bank managing director, as a presidential candidate in the 2014 presidential race.