V

ice President Boediono is ready to face another round of questioning by Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigators over the controversial bailout of Bank Century (now Bank Mutiara).

Vice presidential spokesman Yopie Hidayat said on Wednesday that although Boediono had yet to receive a summons from the anti-graft body, he was ready to face the investigators

'€œIt'€™s not a problem. The Vice President will be happy to help the KPK should they need it,'€ Yopie said.

Boediono was the Bank Indonesia (BI) governor and deputy head of the now defunct Financial System Stability Committee (KSSK) when the Rp 6.76 trillion (US$603 million) bailout of Bank Century was disbursed in 2008.

KPK Chairman Abraham Samad revealed the plan to summon Boediono on Wednesday, but declined to elaborate. Abraham only said that the questioning would be conducted after investigators grilled former BI deputy governor Budi Mulya, the only suspect named in the case since the KPK launched its preliminary investigation in 2009.

Abraham also declined to say when Budi would be summoned for questioning. '€œThis year,'€ Abraham said when pressed for details by reporters.

In April 2010, KPK investigators questioned Boediono at the state guesthouse in the presidential office complex, a move which was deemed by many as condescending toward the KPK.

Suspects or witness in graft cases are usually questioned by the anti-graft body at its headquarters in Central Jakarta.

A number of politicians have called for Boediono to be named a suspect in the case. They have repeatedly urged the KPK to widen its investigation to include Boediono, as well as former finance minister and former head of the KSSK, Sri Mulyani Indrawati, currently managing director of the World Bank.

Sri Mulyani said during an inquiry at the House of Representatives that she was unaware of the sudden ballooning of the bailout fund and that she only approved around Rp 600 billion for the bailout.

The KPK has been criticized for failing to meet the December 2012 deadline for resolving the case. Recently, the KPK appeared to step up its investigation into the case by collecting more information from key witnesses.

In May, KPK investigators flew to Washington D.C. and came back with what they claimed was new information, along with documents, after questioning Sri Mulyani.

Earlier this month, the KPK once again questioned the Finance Ministry'€™s Taxation Directorate General Fuad Rahmany and former Bank Century owner Robert Tantular. Robert has said that Rp 3.2 trillion of the bailout fund was misused. The KPK also summoned another BI deputy governor Ardhayadi Mitroatmodjo in August this year.

KPK investigators, however, have yet to question Budi, although he has been a suspect for more than a year.

Budi is believed to have had a role in the creation of the short-term liquidity support (FPJP) for Bank Century and in declaring that a failure by Bank Century could have had a systemic impact on the nation'€™s banking system.

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives'€™ team monitoring the Bank Century case summoned Budi for questioning.

Budi failed to show up, arguing that he would only submit to an investigation by the KPK.

The team, which aimed to seek information regarding the central bank'€™s bailout policy, insisted on summoning Budi next week.

'€œThe questioning of Budi is important,'€ Golkar Party lawmaker Bambang Soesatyo said.