President orders Century transactions to be made public

Erwida Maulia , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Wed, 12/02/2009 1:43 PM

Trying to fend off “libelous” accusations being thrown his way, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ordered that the transfers of Rp 6.76 trillion (US$716 million) for the Bank Century bailout be made public.

Yudhoyono’s call was addressed to the Financial Transactions Report and Analysis Center (PPATK) and the Deposit Insurance Agency (LPS), following rumors that some of the fund made its way to his election campaign team.

“As you all know, there have been these outrageous libel and character assassination attempts saying that some of the funds went to my political team,” Yudhoyono said at the Indonesian Women’s Congress’s 23rd Summit at the Presidential Palace.

“It’s not good to always be suspicious of each other. Make everything public. The PPATK knows if there have been any suspicious transactions. I want the PPATK to publicize the transactions to make everything clear.

“And to the LPS, which disbursed the Rp 6.76 trillion fund to Bank Century, tell [the public] where the money went, what were the phases, how much was received by state enterprises, by companies and by individuals,” he went on.

“Can any of the transfers confirm what’s been said in the rumors?”

Yudhoyono said that after the PPATK and the LPS had made public all the information, those “who still feel inflicted” could seek justice.

“Ours is a legal state. Justice must be upheld and libel must not be allowed to rule the day,” he said.

Yudhoyono added he had ordered law enforcement institutions to accelerate the legal process against Century’s management, saying trials for fugitive suspects could be held in absentia.

“I have asked that Bank Century’s assets abroad be frozen. They say is amounts to Rp 11 trillion. I want what belongs to the people to be returned,” he said.

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