KPK leaves for S. Arabia in haj scandal probe

JAKARTA. The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) said on Sunday that it had sent a group of investigators to Saudi Arabia to collect evidence for its investigation into massive irregularities surrounding the haj program, which had caused more than Rp 1 trillion (US$ 79 million) in state losses.

The investigators were sent after the KPK had finished collecting testimonies from dozens of witnesses in the case varying from House of Representatives lawmakers in charge of supervising the haj programs and officials from the Religious Affairs Ministry to private haj travel agents, allegedly owned by lawmakers.

KPK deputy chairman Bambang Widjojanto said that the antigraft body’s investigators would question a number of witnesses in Saudi Arabia and “other relevant parties” who could give information to enrich the investigation, which has seen former religious affairs minister Suryadharma Ali named as a graft suspect.

“We are still waiting for the result of the questioning from investigators,” Bambang said.

With regard to this scandal, the antigraft body launched an investigation into the 2012-2013 haj program in January 2014 after finding initial leads, which suggested that mark ups and misuse of haj quotas had caused the state to lose more than Rp 1 trillion.

Five months later in May, KPK investigators slapped Suryadharma, who is also the chairman of the United Development Party (PPP), with corruption charges after witnesses’ testimonies and evidence confirmed he was one of the masterminds behind the massive irregularities plaguing the haj program.

As of today, Suryadhama is the only suspect in the case, but the antigraft body recently said that it was likely that more suspects would arise in the case in the future as evidence it had collected suggest the roles of other parties in the case.

In a move to find more possible suspects in the case, the KPK late last year launched a new investigation to dig up irregularities in the spending budget in the 2010-2011 haj period, a move that is aimed at rooting out House lawmakers.

KPK chairman Abraham Samad said that the KPK’s investigation was currently focused on looking for the roles of House lawmakers from Commission VIII overseeing religion, which supervises the Religious Affairs Ministry.

He added that some of the lawmakers from the PPP are suspected of committing foul play by rigging the procurement of transportation, catering and housing for hundreds thousands of haj pilgrims in Saudi Arabia.

“There are some lawmakers at the Commission VIII who have ‘other’ businesses [related to the haj program],” Abraham said.

KPK spokesman Johan Budi said that the KPK had also sensed that Suryadharma might have also committed graft with regard to the discussion of the haj budget proposed by the ministry.

“In addition to the haj fund, we are also currently closely investigating his role in the haj budgeting process [at the House]. We are currently collecting testimonies from witnesses to build our case against him. The completion of his dossier is far from over though, as we are working hard to collect evidence to prove all the allegations,” Johan said.

Last year, the KPK slapped a number of House lawmakers, some of them are now already former, from various political parties with travel bans in the case, including Suryadharma’s wife Wardatul Asriah, who was sworn in as a House lawmaker representing the PPP in October last year.

The other five lawmakers are Bondo Radityo Gambiro of the Democratic Party, who served as deputy chairman of House Commission VIII when the haj scandal took place, the Democratic Party’s Muhammad Baghowi, Nurul Iman Mustofa and Ratu Siti Romlah, who served as Commission VIII members as well as the PPP’s Hasrul Azwar, a Commission VIII former member. (Haeril Halim)