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Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said it was history that would eventually prove whether her decision to bail out Bank Century was right or wrong.

Interviewed after attending a House of Representatives` plenary session here on Thursday (March 4), the minister said the bailout decision was taken based on professional considerations, not under the political influence of any party.

She said the bailout had become necessary to protect Indonesia`s economy from the global crisis.

"I agreed to the proposal to bail out Bank Century on account of the essential truth in which I believed. The bailout policy was not based on a political choice," she said.

However, Sri Mulyani said, she respected the House`s plenary meeting`s final decision last Wednesday (March 3) which stated that violations of state regulations had happened prior to and after the disbursement of the bailout funds.

She said she supported the view that the police should conduct an investigation into the Bank Century bailout case based on the House plenary meeting`s conclusions.

She said all the people suspected of having violated the law in the case needed to be investigated by the police.

The majority of House of Representatives (DPR) members in a vote at a House plenary session last Wednesday (March 3) night came to the conclusion that violations of state regulations were committed in the Bank Century bailout.

Of the 537 members attending the House plenary session, 325 voted for "Option C" (a statement ridiculing the bailout) and the other 212 for "Option A" (a statement justifying the bailout).

The vote`s outcome means the majority of DPR members believe violations were committed and there were indications of corruption, violations of banking and state finance policies, money laundering and other general crimes in the process of the merger and acquisition leading to the setting up of Bank Century and its eventual bailout by the government in 2008.

All the ruling Democrat Party members voted for Option A stating that the bailout was correct, supported by members of the National Awakening Party faction (FPKB) and the National Mandate Party faction (FPAN). One FPKB member voted for Option C and two others were absent.

Six other party factions, namely of the Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), the Golkar Party, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the United Development Party (PPP), the Gerindra and Hanura parties all voted for Option C.

(A051/C/HAJM/S012/S026)

Editor: Suryanto
COPYRIGHT © 2012

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