SBY does not understand about the taxation law: Legislator

A Golkar Party legislator at the House of Representatives inquiry committee on the Bank Century bailout case deems President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono does not understand about the taxation law.

"The law states that every citizen has the right to appeal to any tax evasion allegation. It is not proper for a state authority to directly order the police to apprehend or investigate anyone suspected to have evaded his or her tax obligation," Agun Gunanjar Sudarsa told reporters at the House in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Recently, Yudhoyono ordered the police to investigate businessmen suspected to have neglected their tax obligations.

Among those businessmen is said to be Golkar Chairman Aburizal Bakrie.

Agun deemed that the President did not have sufficient comprehension about tax regulations and that the order might have contained political motives as it was issued in the escalating investigation times of the Bank Century bailout case.

"My question is...why now? It's an old case, so why brought it to the public now?" Agun asked.

The case is highly political as it involves two of Yudhoyono's most trusted aides, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani and Vice President Boediono, who was once named Bank Indonesia governor.

Mulyani and Boediono, in his capacity as the central bank governor, authorized the bailout in November 2008. The bailout later on ballooned ten times to Rp 6.76 trillion (US$716 million) from its original estimation.