Nazaruddin to reveal major corruption cases

JAKARTA. Former treasurer of the Democratic Party Muhammad Nazaruddin, a graft convict and money-laundering suspect in the Hambalang sports complex scandal pledged on Wednesday that he would make disclosures in major graft cases involving trillions of rupiah.

Nazaruddin has made similar claims in the past that were later corroborated by graft trials.

He was the first to point the finger at former Democratic Party chairman Anas Urbaningrum in the Hambalang graft case and accused Anas of receiving bribes in the form of a luxury car from construction firm PT Adhi Karya.

Anas has been named a suspect by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) for accepting the bribe. Anas was also alleged to have received ill-gotten money reportedly used to fund the party’s 2010 congress.

“I will reveal the names of public officials who claim to be clean but they are actually involved in corruption cases running into trillions of rupiah,” Nazaruddin said after undergoing another round of questioning by the KPK on Wednesday.

He claimed that some of the people continued to hold public office.

Nazaruddin was summoned as a suspect by the KPK on Wednesday in the money-laundering case involving the 2010 purchase of a stake in flag-carrying airline Garuda Indonesia.

He was the first suspect to be charged with money laundering.

Nazaruddin was sentenced to four years and 10 months in jail in April 2012 for accepting Rp 4.6 billion (US$460,000) linked to the construction of the SEA Games athletes’ village in South Sumatra.

The Jakarta Corruption Court found Nazaruddin guilty of accepting the money, in the form of five checks, from Mohamad El Idris, the marketing director with construction company PT Duta Graha Indah (DGI), to rig the bid in its favor.

The KPK also summoned Anas for questioning on Wednesday. However, Anas failed to show up for the questioning.

Anas’ lawyer Firman Wijaya asked the KPK to reschedule the questioning. He also urged the anti-graft body to conduct a fair investigation especially into the allegation that ill-gotten funds had been used to finance the party congress that led to Anas’ election as party chairman.

Firman instead called on the KPK to focus on Andi Mallarangeng, Anas’ defeated rival in the congress, saying that the former youth and sports minister had spent more during his campaign for the party chairmanship.

“We will bring the proof that he [Andi], using the President’s name back then, spent a lot on political ads [...] This had links to funding for the congress,” he said.

KPK deputy chief Busyro Muqoddas said the KPK only worked based on hard evidence although Anas certainly would have the right to a fair investigation.

“We work professionally. We don’t randomly point fingers at someone without hard evidence. We will track the evidence anywhere it may lead us,” Busyro added.

Busyro also said that the KPK had yet to receive a Hambalang project audit from the Supreme Audit Body (BPK). The House of Representatives’ Deputy Speaker Priyo Budi Santoso has previously said that the BPK was ready to drop a bombshell in the audit.

The BPK’s earlier audit found that the government lost at least Rp 243.6 billion in the project.

“We need no surprises. But we are waiting for the audit as it will speed up the process of determining the total state losses,” Busyro said.

Analysts have earlier said that Anas’ connection with the Islamic Students Association (HMI) and its alumni association, the Islamic Students Alumni Association (KAHMI) might assist him in dealing with his graft case.

Some KPK commissioners, including chairman Abraham Samad, Busyro and deputy chairman Bambang Widjojanto, are former members of the HMI. (Ina Parlina)