KPK accused of protecting Ibas

JAKARTA. A key witness in various graft cases involving former Democratic Party treasurer Muhammad Nazaruddin has accused the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) of attempting to cover up the alleged involvement of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s youngest son, Edhie “Ibas” Baskoro Yudhoyono, in the Hambalang sports complex graft case.

Yulianis said on Saturday she was deeply disappointed by the statement of KPK chairman Abraham Samad, who recently said it was peculiar that she had mentioned Ibas when giving testimony in a separate graft trial early this year. Abraham claimed that Yulianis mentioned Ibas’ name only in court but not during questioning by the KPK.

Yulianis rebuffed Abraham’s claim, saying that she had mentioned Ibas while being interrogated by the KPK. “If I spoke truthfully, I was perceived as weird. I am indeed weird because I am an ant fighting a giant. But it is even weirder for the KPK to cover up what I said during questioning,” she said as quoted by tribunnews.com.

Abraham made the statement after he was asked why the KPK had not summonsed Ibas for questioning over allegations that he had accepted a US$200,000 bribe from Nazaruddin’s Permai Group, a company at which Yulianis used to be the deputy financial director.

The money allegedly came from state funds for the Hambalang project and was reportedly used to finance the Democratic Party’s convention in Bandung, West Java, in 2010, an event that was said to be awash with illicit money.

Yulianis made the remark in testimony at the Jakarta Corruption Court when she was a witness in a case involving two defendants from the Jakarta State University — assistant rector Fachrudin and lecturer Tri Mulyono — involving the procurement of laboratory equipment for the university in 2010.

According to Abraham, the fact that it was not stated in Yulianis’ dossier that she had mentioned Ibas’ name during questioning was the reason the KPK had not summonsed Ibas. “If she had mentioned [Ibas’ name], then we would have summonsed this person [Ibas]. This is what has to be cleared up so that there is no misunderstanding,” he said on Thursday.

Abraham added that Yulianis’ statement could not stand on its own as incriminating evidence, and thus the KPK needed to obtain further proof so that the antigraft body could summons Ibas, who is also the Democratic Party’s secretary-general.

He also said that the KPK would summons Yulianis in the near future to clarify her statement. “We will summon Yulianis again, and [if] she mentions Ibas’ involvement, then we will summons Ibas,” he said.

Yulianis’ lawyer, Ignatius Supriyadi, said he was unable to comment on his client’s claim as she was in the witness protection program.

KPK commissioner Bambang Widjojanto also declined to comment, saying he had to seek clarification from KPK investigators over Yulianis’ claim that she had mentioned Ibas during questioning.

In March last year, a KPK investigator testified before the court in a different Nazaruddin case that Yulianis, along with another witness, told the KPK that she felt threatened by someone. Therefore, he added, the KPK had to continue the questioning at a different location where the two felt safe.

Ibas and members of the ruling Democratic Party have denied Yulianis’ allegations and accused her lying. Ibas has also filed a police report against Yulianis for slander, reasoning that he felt disadvantaged because of her allegation. (Hans Nicholas Jong)