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Now that the all the factions in the House special committee have reported their final stance on the Bank Century bailout, the question is what comes next? In presenting their final reports, seven political parties said they had found illegalities and corruption in the rescue without providing clear details.

The reports will now have to be merged into a final report that is to be presented to House plenary session on March 2, when a vote will be taken as to whether the full legislature will accept the committee’s recommendations. As it stands, if the recommendations are approved by the House, some lawmakers could move to impeach Vice President Boediono, who has been named along with Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati as being responsible for the bailout.

Of course much can happen between now and March 2 as lobbying by the Democratic Party intensifies. No one is yet clear of what form the final report to the House will take and who, if anyone, will be implicated for wrongdoing.

But as they deliberate over the report, lawmakers must take into account a few crucial factors. First they must separate any crime committed by the former owners of the lender and the decision to rescue it. Sri Mulyani said on Wednesday that lawmakers must recognize that the decision to salvage Bank Century had protected the economy against the global financial crisis even if there were flaws in the process.

If laws were indeed violated or corruption took place, than the committee must provide solid proof for the police to investigate. It is important to uncover the truth but not if that truth is tainted by political motives. So far no evidence has been provided to prove that any of the senior officials involved personally benefited from the bailout money.

Criminalizing the actions and decisions by senior officials who acted in good faith will have long-term detrimental impact on the government and the country as a whole. The committee, has yet to reveal any specific crime committed or laws violated by the either the vice president or the finance minister in the bailout and yet certain factions have claimed that their actions were illegal.

It is thus critical that such a high-profile hearing must not be politicized or criminalized for political purposes. The interest of the nation should remain on top of the list of priorities. It is disturbing that some political parties are demanding the death sentence or life imprisonment for those involved if found guilty. This is not the function nor the mandate of the committee.

Much is riding on the final report that is presented to the House plenary session. In the interest of the nation and the people of Indonesia, truth, justice and fairness must prevail.