Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said here on Thursday that no funds from the former Bank Century had gone to him or his re-election campaign team.

The President made the statement in a meeting with cabinet ministers from political parties to discuss recommendations from the team of eight that had been tasked with verifying legal facts and processes in the controversial case of antigraft officials Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra M Hamzah.

"I tell you. Do not be suspicious. I tell you things are 100 percent clear. There is no problem involving Bank Century. Rumors saying that funds had flowed to SBY (Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono) and his presidential election campaign team are slander. There was no such thing. Our campaign funds were all fully accountable," Law and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar quoted the president as saying after the meeting.

Although SBY had touched on the issue during the meeting, Patrialis denied that the President planned to block the proposal from the House of Representatives (DPR) to exercise its right of inquiry in connection with the case.

"Pak (Mr) SBY does not want to interfere. It is not that it is the right of the DPR. This is slander and dangerous. Please write that Pak SBY has never received even a cent. It is really deplorable if the government is attacked in this way," he said.

Regarding the DPR proposal, Patrialis who is from the National Mandate Party (PAN), said it would be better if the DPR waited for the result of an audit by the BPK because it was also the DPR that had asked the BPK to conduct the audit with regard to the bail-out funds to Bank Century.

Minister of Communications and Information Tifatul Sembiring from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) said President Yudhoyono had held the meeting to ask for the ministers` opinions about the direction of the DPR proposal.

"It is just for straightening out the situation because all have proposed that they wait for the result of the BPK audit. Not only the President who has asked for it but all also saw the need for it because it was the DPR that had asked for the BPK audit. So do not let the audit stop but it must be finished and after that steps will be taken, if necessary," he said.

In a limited cabinet meeting on November 18, 2009 President Yudhoyono expressed concern that his name and his family had been mentioned as being associated with the Bank Century case.

He had even said he would take legal action if his name continued being connected with the case.(*)

Editor: Heru
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