JAKARTA (Yosefardi) – Darmin Nasution, former Governor of Bank Indonesia (BI), has on Thursday (Aug 29) visited the office of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to give testimonies related to the the long-delayed Rp6.7 trillion bailout scandal of Bank Century (now Bank Mutiara).
Darmin will be examined as witness for former BI Deputy Governor Budi Mulya, a suspect in this case.
Darmin served as BI Governor from September 1, 2010 to May 23, 2013. Previously, he served as BI Senior Deputy Governor and as well as Acting BI Governor (from July 27, 2009 to September 1, 2010). While when Bank Indonesia disbursed Rp6.7 trillion bailout to Bank Century in 2008, Darmin, who served as Director General of Tax at the Ministry of Finance (from 2006 to 2009), has also been mentioned as Commissioner of the Deposit Insurance
Corporation (LPS).
KPK has been under pressure to solve the Bank Century bailout case since 2010. So far, KPK has named two suspects. They are Budi Mulya and another former BI Deputy Governor, Siti CH Fadjrijah. However, KPK has promised to bring the long-delayed Rp6.7 trillion Bank Century bailout scandal to the Corruption Court this year.
Bank Century bailout saga started in 2008 when the bank suffered a serious liquidity problem and asked for loan to Bank Indonesia. The central bank, ordered by the Financial System Stability Committee (KSSK), finally
disbursed loan in four stages with total bailout reached Rp6.7 trillion from LPS funds to Bank Century.
KSSK, at that time, led by Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati (now Managing Director of World Bank) as Chairman and BI Governor Boediono (now Vice President of Indonesia) as member.
The House, in its recommendation on March 2010, concluded that both Sri Mulyani and Boediono are responsible for the bailout decision as KSSK chairman and KSSK member. Both Sri Mulyani and Boediono had been examined back in April 29, 2010. Unfortunately, there is no further progress from this investigation. Latest, KPK examined Sri Mulyani at the Indonesian Embassy in Washington DC, US in early May 2013.
Unfortunately, businessman Budi Sampoerna, former President Commissioner of HM Sampoerna, who is believed as a key witness in the case, had reportedly passed away in Premier Surabaya Hospital, East Java at August 8, 2011 due to a diagnosed cancer. (haryantos@yosefardi.biz)