Nivell Rayda, Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Antara, Jakarta – The Golkar Party has called on the antigraft agency to explain why it has been focusing far more attention on the central bank bribery case rather than the 2008 Bank Century bailout scandal.
Golkar chairman Aburizal Bakrie said on Sunday that he would request clarification from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) about its priorities.
The KPK announced on Sept. 1 that it had named 26 former and current members of the House of Representatives as suspects for allegedly taking bribes to vote in Miranda Goeltom as senior deputy governor of Bank Indonesia in 2004.
Ten of the 26 suspects are Golkar members, while 14 are from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P). Former Golkar legislator Hamka Yandhu and the PDI-P's Dudhie Makmun Murod had earlier been sentenced to two and a half years each for their roles in the bribery scandal.
Golkar secretary general Idrus Marham said the party would question the KPK over its focus during a hearing of the House's special committee on the Century investigation.
He said the Century bailout involved more money and that the alleged corruption "can be seen more clearly." He was quick to clarify, however, that Aburizal in his statement was not accusing the government of using the KPK to pressure political foes.
He added the issue was only raised during "casual talks" with fellow Golkar heavyweights Surya Paloh and Jusuf Kalla, the former vice president.
"We're not saying that the government is trying to manipulate the case to attack us," he said. "We only want the KPK to clarify its decision to name suspects in one case and not in another."
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) said in June that it had found no traces of graft in the Rp 6.7 trillion ($744 million) bailout contrary to lawmakers claims of illegality. The police and the Attorney General's Office have echoed these findings.
The 26 legislators were charged with accepting Rp 250 million to Rp 1.45 billion ($28,000 to $160,000) each in bribes to vote for Miranda Goeltom.
KPK spokesman Johan Budi said the commission would welcome Golkar's questions about its progress in the Century case.
"If they want information on the case within their capacity as legislators, we'd be more than happy to explain to them," he told the Jakarta Globe on Sunday. "But we can't tell them about the substance of the investigation because that's confidential."
He added the commission's investigators had met last week to discuss the case, but declined to offer further details. He also stressed that the KPK would not allow anybody to intrude in their probe, or be "forced to go after a particular person."
In regards to the bribery case, Idrus said Golkar also wanted to know why only those who allegedly received the money had been charged while those offering the bribes had escaped scrutiny.
The bribes, which reportedly came in the form of travelers checks, were believed to have been issued by Nunun Nurbaeti Daradjatun, Miranda's friend and also the wife of former National Police deputy chief Adang Daradjatun.
Nunun has never shown up for questioning, however, claiming a mysterious illness that causes memory loss for which her lawyer says she is seeking treatment in Singapore.
Meanwhile, Golkar has taken steps to defend its members from the bribery charges. Golkar has appointed former Justice Minister Muladi to head its defense team. He is also the party's associate chairman for legal and human rights affairs.
The PDI-P had asked the KPK on Sept. 3 to explain the process behind the naming of its 14 members as suspects. The PDI-P has reiterated it did not intend to interfere with the commission's investigation.
But a corruption watchdog said the PDI-P needed to be careful not to appear like it was trying to influence the KPK probe.
"The PDI-P is a big party known for siding with the poor. It would be a betrayal of the party's constituents if it defended members of the party involved in a Rp 24 billion graft scandal," said Febri Diansyah, a researcher from Indonesia Corruption Watch.