Graft suspect Hanura lawmaker breaks down in tears

JAKARTA. Graft suspect Dewie Yasin Limpo broke down in tears upon meeting with her children when she was taken from detention to attend a summons at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Tuesday.

Dewie, a House of Representatives member from the Hanura Party faction, arrived at the KPK at 1:30 p.m. and completed her visit at around 3:10 p.m. She refused to comment when journalists raised questions related to her case afterward, only shedding tears.

Last Wednesday, the KPK named Dewie a suspect of attempting bribery in connection with the funding of a micro-hydro power plant in Deiyai regency, Papua, as part of the 2016 state budget plan (RAPBN).

The Hanura lawmaker said she felt sad when she was reunited with her children, as she had been detained by the KPK since last Thursday. “I was sad, very sad,” said the politician.

KPK spokeswoman Yuyuk Andriati said the body had not summoned Dewie for questioning. “She came here to give a voice-sample recording and have photos taken,” she told journalists on Tuesday.

Dewie is suspected of accepting a bribe by Setiady Jusuf, a businessman from PT Abdi Bumi Cendrawasih, and Deiyai Energy and Mining Agency head Irenius Adii. The KPK alleged that the bribe was aimed at securing the inclusion of the Papua power plant project in the RAPBN 2016.

Yuyuk said Dewie’s expert staffer Bambang Wahyu Hadi and her private assistant Rinelda Bandoso had played active roles in the bribery attempt, as if they had been given the authority to determine a commitment fee of 7 percent from the total project value.

The KPK predicted that the project was worth hundreds or even billions of rupiah. In the case, the anti-graft body also named Bambang, Irenius and Rinelda suspects. KPK investigators apprehended the three in a restaurant in Kelapa Gading after they allegedly made a bribery transaction.

At the restaurant, the investigators also confiscated S$177,700 (US$127,500) in bribe money, wrapped in a snack package. They also seized a number of documents and mobile phones during the raid.