Dems face another battle over bailout case

President Susilo Bambang Yu-dhoyono’s Democratic Party is facing another battle over the Bank Century scandal as lawmakers plan to extend the tenure of a special team tasked with monitoring the investigation into the politically charged scandal that could put the president’s legitimacy at risk.

The Golkar Party and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) said they would continue to pursue the case regardless of the political contract signed by the two parties as members of the coalition government with Yudhoyono.

Golkar secretary-general Idrus Marham said on Wednesday that Golkar, along with many other parties, was committed to unraveling the alleged corruption behind the controversial Rp 6.7 trillion bailout, which was declared illegal by the House.

Golkar’s Priyo Budi Santoso, who is also a House deputy speaker, said he would seek to extend the Century monitoring team’s tenure, which is due to end its term on Dec. 17, by another six months to ensure that law enforcers managed to thoroughly resolve the case.

The recent leadership succession at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has provided the proponents of the Century probe with renewed hope that the antigraft agency will be able to bring prosecutions against those deemed culpable in the case.

Golkar, the PKS and several opposition parties managed to elect lawyer Abraham Samad to the top post of the anticorruption body, in a move analysts said aimed at expediting the sluggish Century probe. Abraham has denied any backroom political deals between him and the politicians who supported him.

Priyo said he hoped the forensic audit by the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK), which will be completed by late December, would shed light on the controversial bailout, which perhaps caused former finance minister Sri Mulyani to resign from her post in spite of her good performance.

Aboebakar Alhabsyi, a PKS lawmaker and member of the House’s supervisory team for the Bank Century probe, reiterated that the PKS had not revised its political contract with the government during the recent Cabinet reshuffle and would continue to pursue a complete probe into the bailout. “The [Century case] will become a strategic political tool leading up to the 2014 general elections,” he said.

Secretary-general of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Tjahjo Kumolo, warned the President of impeachment following the KPK’s investigation, saying all nine party factions remained a committed front to push the KPK to carry out a thorough investigation into the case.