Ulma Haryanto – The unusual manner by which Muhammad Nazaruddin was brought home and the incidents immediately following his arrival on Saturday have raised a number of questions.
O.C. Kaligis, the main legal representative for Nazaruddin, has complained that he has not been allowed to see his client. "I came here to provide legal assistance," Kaligis said after being turned away from the Mobile Brigade (Brimob) detention facility in Depok on Sunday.
Sr. Comr. K. Budiman, a spokesman for the facility, said Kaligis needed permission from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to see Nazaruddin.
"The regular schedule is Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., and Fridays from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.," he said. The KPK, he added, had put in place extra security measures for Nazaruddin, including two more guards and several CCTVs.
But the high-profile lawyer isn't buying the explanation and says something strange is afoot. "Who would know if [investigators] brainwashed him on the plane and during the interrogations?" Kaligis said, suggesting they might try to change Nazaruddin's testimony.
He also asked why the Indonesian ambassador to Colombia, Michael Menufandu, had prevented him from seeing Nazaruddin in Bogota, which meant Nazaruddin couldn't sign a political asylum request prepared by the lawyer.
Azyumardi Azra, a prominent scholar from Syarif Hidayatullah Islamic State University in Jakarta, was also suspicious about the 36-hour flight from Colombia to Jakarta, and the six stops made by the chartered jet.
Officials initially estimated the flight would take 22 to 24 hours, but the plane arrived nearly 17 hours later than expected on Saturday. "Why did he have to make a lot of stops during his flight from Colombia to Indonesia? I am afraid there are games behind this," Azyumardi said.
Anas Yusuf, the police general who led the Indonesian team coordinating with Interpol, bristled at questions over the length of the flight, saying they were forced to land in Congo due to permit issues, and had to refuel several times. "We used a small plane that seated only 12. It's different from a Boeing or Airbus," he said.
Meanwhile, the KPK said Nazaruddin's wife, Neneng Sri Wahyuni, had been named a suspect.
"It's for a solar power project at the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration," KPK spokesman Priharsa Nugraha said, referring to a Rp 3.8 billion ($445,000) contract in which Neneng allegedly acted as a broker.
But statements from law enforcement officials on her whereabouts and movements differ. Police officials said last week that Neneng was with Nazaruddin when he was arrested in Cartagena, but Anas said over the weekend that Neneng had left Colombia for Kuala Lumpur on July 25.
Officials had also said Neneng was expected to arrive in Jakarta with Nazaruddin, but she was not among those who deplaned at Halim Airport on Saturday.
M. Jasin, a KPK deputy chairman, said that since Neneng was abroad, an Interpol red notice would be issued for her, as was done for Nazaruddin. Asked about Neneng's whereabouts, Kaligis replied: "It's a secret. I can't tell you."
[Additional reporting by Vento Saudale & Nurfika Osman.]