KPK hints that Jero could be implicated for graft

JAKARTA. Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chairman Abraham Samad has hinted that the commission had found sufficient evidence to implicate Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Jero Wacik in several extortion cases.

“[What Jero has allegedly done] could be categorized as extortion,” Samad said during a visit to the

Development Finance Comptrollers (BPKP) office on Tuesday as quoted by tempo.co.

The KPK said on Friday that an announcement regarding Jero's status would be made within this week.

Separately, KPK deputy chairman Bambang Widjojanto said that the KPK would go public when the time was right, either this week or next week.

The legal status would be determined after the KPK concluded an expose into Jero's involvement. The investigators would present evidence regarding Jero's involvement during the expose.

Jero, a senior politician from the ruling Democratic Party, was allegedly involved in embezzling money from several procurement projects at his ministry from 2011 to 2013. The commission has already named the ministry’s former secretary-general, Waryono Karno, as a suspect in the case.

The KPK found out about Jero’s alleged involvement based on an investigation into Waryono, who was believed to have misused the funds on orders from Jero.

On Monday, Jero said that he would respect the legal process run by the KPK.

The KPK has already questioned Jero and his wife, Triesna Wacik, as well as President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s political communications adviser, Daniel Sparingga.