Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – The top antigraft body will not bow to pressure from angry politicians whose colleagues were detained for allegedly receiving bribes in the 2004 election of a central bank official, its spokesman says.
The Corruption Eradication Commission's (KPK) Johan Budi told The Jakarta Post on Saturday that the commission worked "under the strict rule of law" and that neither political interests nor intervention would play a role in any of its actions.
The KPK had been a target of criticism from fuming politicians after it named 25 (not 24 as reported earlier) senior politicians as graft suspects last year and detained 19 of them on Friday.
The former and current legislators are alleged to have received traveler's checks worth a total of Rp 24 billion (US$2.6 million) as bribes in return for supporting Miranda S. Goeltom's bid to be Bank Indonesia senior deputy governor.
In a show of solidarity, several politicians – including current and former ministers – from the opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the Golkar Party and the United Development Party (PPP) visited their colleagues in four different detention centers on Saturday.
They criticized the KPK for failing to identify any of the alleged bribe payers in the case. "It's a disaster, very tragic. On the one hand, 19 people were detained for accepting bribes but on the other, the bribe payers remain untouched. Why do they have impunity?" senior Golkar politician and former minister Fahmi Idris said.
The PDI-P's Trimedya Panjaitan lambasted the KPK's move as politically motivated, saying that while the antigraft body seemed to be working hard on the Bank Indonesia case, it deliberately stalled its probe into the possible corruption surrounding the Bank Century bailout.
Trimedya and several colleagues from the PDI-P were visiting detained veteran party member Panda Nababan.
Fahmi and Trimedya blasted the KPK's move as "out of line". "Golkar and the PDI-P may seek redress. This issue will be raised at the House [of Representatives]," Trimedya said.
Friday's arrest occurred amid rising political tension in the House over a renewed attempt by Golkar to put pressure on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's administration by earlier initiating a move to impeach Boediono and, more recently, looking to create a special committee to probe corruption at the tax office.
PPP legislator Ahmad Yani said his party would use its political leverage to question the KPK's move.
"The House's law commission will hold a hearing with the KPK on Monday. We will question KPK leaders over this case, specifically why they have not named any bribe payers yet," he said after visiting detained PPP colleagues at the Cipinang detention center in East Jakarta.
Politicians have accused Miranda and her close friend Nunun Nurbaeti, a businesswoman who is also the wife of former National Police deputy chief turned legislator Comr. Gen. (ret.) Adang Daradjatun, for being behind the case.
The KPK have failed on several occasions to get Nunun to appear for questioning. Nunun's lawyers claim she was unwell.
According to KPK documents obtained by The Jakarta Post, Nunun ordered middleman Arie Malangjudo to distribute Rp 24 billion in traveler's checks to the legislators.
Most of the suspects allegedly met with Arie to receive the checks shortly after Miranda won a House vote to appoint her Bank Indonesia senior deputy governor.
Johan said the identity of the bribe payers in the case would soon come to light. "We are investigating them. Hopefully next week we will hear some good news," he told the Post.