Nivell Rayda & Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Former Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri won't honor a summons from the Corruption Eradication Commission to testify next week in connection with the Rp 24 billion ($2.7 million) bribery scandal linked to the appointment of Miranda Goeltom as a senior deputy central bank governor in 2004.
Johan Budi, a spokesman for the commission known as the KPK, said on Friday that seven of 26 lawmakers charged with accepting bribes in the Goeltom affair had asked the antigraft body to summon the former president.
"Mega would be quizzed as a witness based on the request of several suspects," Johan said. "The KPK has no [vested] interest whatsoever [in Megawati's questioning], which is scheduled for next Monday."
The body said it could not compel the former president to testify in a case that has consistently raised more questions than answers – about the source of the alleged bribe money, the reason bribes would be paid to get Miranda into the Bank Indonesia post, why Miranda has not been named a suspect and why it took several years for many of the suspects to be formally named.
Political insiders say the current prosecution has infuriated lawmakers who thought they had an understanding with the KPK that the case was not a priority.
Petrus Selestinus, a lawyer for the seven suspects, all of whom are from Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), first raised the call to question her last month.
But party chairwoman Megawati won't appear, PDI-P's legal affairs head said on Friday, confirming that the summons had been received. Trimedya Panjaitan said it was the party's position that Megawati had nothing to do with the case and had nothing to tell the KPK.
The decision, he said, was made after the party's board met with Megawati to discuss the summons. "Ibu Megawati has no relevance to the appointment of Miranda as the central bank's deputy governor," Trimedya said.
The argument would be explained to the KPK in a letter, he said, adding that the party would urge the body not to be used for political purposes.
Petrus said earlier that his clients also wanted to summon Megawati's husband, Taufik Kiemas, and several other top figures inside the party.
The senior PDI-P politicians, Petrus said, could clarify the nature of the alleged bribe money, which the lawyer claimed was made as a campaign contribution, principally for Megawati's failed 2004 re-election bid.
Megawati, the eldest daughter of Indonesia's first president, Sukarno, lost the 2004 presidential election to Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
"As far as we are concerned, information solicited from Mega is not important," KPK spokesman Johan said. "The summons was requested by the suspects. We are fulfilling their rights based on the law. It is up to Mega basically if she wants to cooperate."
In September, the KPK named 26 former and current members of the House of Representatives as suspects but took no action to detain them until recently. The politicians are accused of receiving up to Rp 1.45 billion each to vote for Miranda during the selection process.
The list includes Golkar Party politician Paskah Suzetta, senior United Development Party (PPP) politician Daniel Tandjung and senior PDI-P member Max Moein. Golkar's Hamka Yandhu, Makmun Murod of the PDI-P, PPP's Endin Soefihara and Udju Djuhaeri, from the now defunct police and military faction, have already been jailed in the case.
The Anti-Corruption Court ruled that the four had channeled a total of Rp 24 billion in traveler's checks from businesswoman Nunun Nurbaeti Daradjatun, the wife of Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) politician Adang Daradjatun, to the other lawmakers.
The KPK is still investigating Nunun's role, as well as that of First Mujur Plantation, a palm oil company that bought the checks. Nunun is supposedly in Singapore and has ignored repeated summonses from the KPK, claiming she is suffering from a mysterious illness that causes memory loss.