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Former Central Bank deputy governor Aulia Pohan has denied claims that he was arrested in Switzerland for money laundering. 

“Alhamdullilah [Thank God], I’m at home and spending time with my granddaughter,” Aulia told Antara. 

The news of the “arrest” of Aulia, who is also the father-in-law of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s eldest son,  spread like wildfire on Friday in the bloggersphere and other media.

Some news portals quoted Indonesian Ambassador to Switzerland, Djoko Susilo, saying that the embassy could not confirm the information about Aulia’s arrest because local police did not respond to the embassy’s questions.  

Aulia’s alleged absence from the recent wedding receptions for Yudhoyono’s second son Edhi Baskoro Yudhoyono was used to confirm the news of his arrest. 

However, Aulia said he was at both receptions held at the Cipanas Presidential Palace and the Jakarta Convention Center. 

“I was part of the committee, how could I not attend the functions?” he told Antara. 

Aulia was released on parole last year after serving just 20 months of a three-year prison term. He was found guilty of embezzling Rp 100 billion ($11 million) from a central bank foundation in 2003. 

Through her Twitter account on Saturday, Aulia’s daughter Anissa Pohan said it was deplorable that some media outlets would run a “hoax” story about her father’s “arrest” without making any effort to verify what was mere hearsay. 

She said her father was well and had been enjoying spending time with his family until the story broke on Friday.

“Apologize and admit that you’ve run inaccurate information. I believe the public will respect you even more,” she posted, mentioning news portal Detik.com in particular.