Rizky Amelia & Anita Rachman – High profile graft suspect Muhammad Nazaruddin on Wednesday continued to sow controversy, this time saying the "big boss" referenced in an incriminating text message was the chairman of the House of Representatives' Budget Committee.
Nazaruddin made the accusation before attending the graft trial of his former employee, Mindo Rosalina Manulang, in a bribery case involving the construction of an athletes' village for November's Southeast Asian Games in Palembang, South Sumatra.
"Yes, it is true," Nazaruddin said when asked whether "big boss" referred to House Budget Committee chairman Melchias Markus Mekeng. However, he declined to give more details, saying Rosalina and the sender of the BlackBerry message, lawmaker and Budget Committee member Angelina Sondakh, would know more.
The message sent by Angelina said that "the big boss wants apples from Malang," with "apples from Malang" believed to be code for payments.
Melchias was quick to deny the charge, saying there was no flow of money from Nazaruddin to the committee or its members. The Golkar Party lawmaker added that he had only chaired the committee since July 2010 and had nothing to do with the budgeting of funds for the athletes' village. Melchias replaced Harry Azhar Azis, also from Golkar, as Budget Committee chairman.
Golkar's secretary general, Idrus Marham, said his party had no plans to protect or cover up for any of its members involved in corruption cases, but added that any corruption allegations should include ample proof.
"What are the data, the facts? A mere statement is not enough," he said. "It is data and facts that are needed." He quoted party chairman Aburizal Bakrie as having said that "there should be no politicization of the legal process. Everything should be based on legal facts."
Meanwhile, Rosalina shed tears when she saw her former employer at her trial. She had last seen Nazaruddin nine months earlier, she said. "I only saw him again today and he appeared very thin. That made me sad," Rosalina said.
Rosalina was a former manager of Nazaruddin's company, Anak Negeri. She is alleged to have been the liaison between graft convict and former secretary of the Youth and Sports Affairs Ministry, Wafid Muharram, and Mohammad El Idris, the marketing manager of Duta Graha Indah, a building contractor.
Later on Wednesday, Nazaruddin appeared at his own trial at the Anti-Corruption Court, but proceedings were postponed after he suddenly vomited in court.
"Because of the health condition of the defendant, the trial is postponed until [next] Wednesday," said Darmawati Ningsih, who heads the panel of judges hearing the case.
The decision was taken after the trial was suspecnded while advice was sought from the doctor assigned by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to treat Nazaruddin. The physician said the defendant was lacking sleep, had a gastric ulcer problem and needed two or three days of rest.
Wednesday's trial had been scheduled to hear testimony from Rosalina, Idris and Duta Graha Indah's executive director, Dudung Purwadi.
Nazaruddin stands accused of rigging a government tender for the construction of the Palembang athletes' village in return for at least Rp 4.3 billion ($473,000) in kickbacks. Among the alleged bribers was Duta Graha Indah, which was awarded the construction project contract.
Idris is said to have given Nazaruddin checks of Rp 1.27 billion and Rp 1.70 billion.
Nazaruddin, a former treasurer of the Democratic Party, has used the corruption investigation and his ongoing trial to level accusations at a number of fellow party members.