Speaker urges SBY to block corruption prosecutions

JAKARTA. House of Representatives Speaker Marzuki Alie has called on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who is also chairman of the ruling Democratic Party, to use his executive power to stop the prosecution of numerous graft cases implicating the party’s politicians.

Marzuki, who is also the deputy chairman of the party’s High Assembly, said that the graft prosecutions had gone too far and were politically motivated to ruin the reputation of the ruling party.

“Currently, this legal mafia is running riot and is making a political intervention,” said Marzuki on Sunday, referring to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

“There are just too many graft cases and unfortunately our party chairman has not intervened.”

He added that intervention by Yudhoyono would be justified.

“The executive can intervene if the law has been abused.”

Marzuki also warned that Yudhoyono’s inaction could put the country’s democratic process at stake.

“Party cadres have been criminalized and this is very dangerous. This political mafia could threaten the next election,” he said.

Recently, many senior Democratic Party politicians have been implicated or arrested in graft cases.

Democratic Party House lawmakers Sutan Bhatoegana and Tri Yulianto were recently slapped with overseas travel bans by the KPK and could soon be charged in connection with a bribery case in the oil and gas sector.

Sutan and Tri, who sit on House Commission VII overseeing energy and natural mineral resources, were recently questioned by KPK investigators concerning bribery suspect, former Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry secretary-general Waryono Karno.

The bribery case has also implicated senior Democratic Party politician Jero Wacik, who is also the energy and mineral resources minister.

Jero has been accused of, among other things, joining a scheme to illegally obtain hard cash to pay for the Democratic Party presidential primary.

Additionally, in January the KPK locked up former party chairman Anas Urbaningrum for his alleged role in the Hambalang sports complex graft case. The KPK has accused Anas of taking a bribe from PT Adhi Karya, a state-owned contractor involved in the project.

Also in the Hambalang case, the antigraft body earlier arrested the Democratic Party’s Andi Alfian Mallarangeng, the former youth and sports minister.

Andi has been accused of embezzling project construction funds.

Last year, the Jakarta Corruption Court jailed former Democratic Party board of patrons member Siti Hartati Murdaya for 32 months for bribery.

Hartati was accused of offering Rp 3 billion (US$353,571) in kickbacks to Amran Batalipu, the former regent of Central Sulawesi’s Buol regency.