PRESIDENT TO RESPECT LEGAL PROCESS OVER YANDHU'S TESTIMONY ABOUT TWO MINISTERS

Jakarta, July 29 (ANTARA) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will respect the legal process and facts in regard to legislator Hamka Yandhu's allegation that two cabinet ministers were among the recipients of illegal Bank Indonesia (BI) funds in 2003, one of his spokesmen said.

Presidential spokesman Andi Mallarangeng was referring to the statment made by Yandhu in a Corruption Court session on Mnday that Development Planning Minister Paskah Suzetta and Forestry Minister MS Kaban had received part of the BI funds when they both were members of Commission IX of the House of Representatives (DPR) of the 1999-2004 period.

Yandhu, who was testifying in the trial of several former BI top officials in the illegal BI funds transfer case, said he personally handed Rp1 billion in four installments to Suzetta and Rp300 million to Kaban.

Mallarangeng said President Yudhoyono was leaving everything in the case to whatever the legal facts were.

"As for the president, he leaves it to whatever the legal facts are. The people concerned can defend themselves based on the principle of presumption of innocence," Malarangeng told reporters before accompanying President Yudhoyono at a meeting with visiting OPEC President Chakib Khalil.

He added the president would respect the legal process so that the cases involving the two ministers could be settled according to due process of law.

Meanwhile, Minister/State Secretary Hatta Rajasa and Cabinet Secretary Sudi Silalahi refused to comment on Yandhu's statments.

"I read about it in the newspapers this morning," Sudi told newsmen while Hatta Rajasa said he had not yet read about it.