Ina Parlina, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Friday detained Miranda S. Goeltom after questioning the former Bank Indonesia top official for more than seven hours.

Miranda, a high town socialite, was escorted to the detention cell in the basement of the antigraft body's compound. She will be locked up for the next 20 days.

"I will be cooperative. I hope the KPK will process my case quickly so that I get my legal status soon," she said as she was transferred to her cell.

Miranda was the latest individual to be prosecuted in connection to the 2004 vote-buying case during her election as Bank Indonesia senior deputy governor at the House of Representatives.

As many as 28 lawmakers had been convicted of taking bribes in the election. They have mostly completed their prison terms.

Businesswoman Nunun Nurbaeti, who acted as a mediator between Miranda and the lawmakers, was sent to jail for two-and-a-half years. Many saw the sentence as too lenient for a crook who had tried to evade justice by fleeing overseas for months.

KPK deputy chairman Bambang Widjojanto, said Miranda's incarceration was a step that hopefully could facilitate further investigation.

Yet, he later admitted that "until Friday the investigators still found no evidence that can be used as a basis to hunt down other actors, including the prime benefactor in the case". "Right now, the KPK is focusing on Miranda's role," Bambang said.

The KPK first investigated the case in early 2009, following a confession by former Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) lawmaker Agus Condro Prayitno in late 2008. According to Agus, he and other lawmakers with the House's finance commission accepted a number of traveler's checks to swing votes for Miranda.

Previous court proceedings have revealed that Nunun's subordinate Arie Malangjudo distributed checks worth Rp 20.85 billion to dozens of lawmakers upon Nunun's order on June 8. 2004.

The court has also revealed that the Rp 20.85 billion checks were indeed parts of a total of Rp 24 billion checks bought from Bank Internasional Indonesia (BII) by First Mujur using Bank Artha Graha money earlier on the same day.

The paper trail went cold as Ferry Yen, who many believed could reveal how the same checks found their way into lawmakers' pockets, died in 2007.

"Of course it [is the missing link and] is a part of our investigation," Bambang said. "But now, Miranda is our focus. Just wait until we have enough evidence to pin other actors, including those who benefited from her winning. We will reveal it."

Miranda was named a suspect in late January and faces a maximum five-year prison term and a Rp 250 million fine for bribery or a maximum of three years in prison and a Rp 150 million fine for paying illegal commissions.

Miranda will be detained at the new block, joining the two female inmates there, graft suspect Angelina Sondakh and convict Mindo "Rosa" Rosalina Manulang.

Andi Simangunsong, Miranda's lawyer, said that his team would soon to file a request to postpone her detention.

Agus Condro – who has also been convicted – repeatedly said that Miranda was but a part of a larger game at play and that the amount of bribes paid for her selection for advancement within the central bank would have fallen well short of her senior deputy director's salary for her entire 5-year term.

Emerson Yuntho of the Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) said it would be a major failure if the KPK could not nail the prime benefactor in the bribery scheme. He said the previous court proceedings have failed to reveal who the benefactor was. The trials, however, have shown that neither Nunun, nor Miranda is the benefactor," Emerson said.

Miranda's time line

June 8, 2004: Miranda S. Goeltom is named Bank Indonesia senior deputy governor.

Aug. 15, 2008: Lawmaker Agus Condro confesses to accepting Rp 500 million in traveler's checks after voting for Miranda's appointment.

Sept. 7, 2008: The KPK receives a report from the PPATK of 400 traveler's checks that were allegedly given to lawmakers to appoint Miranda.

Jan. 26, 2012: Miranda is named a suspect by the KPK in the vote-buying scandal.

Parties involved in the case:

28 lawmakers have been sentenced to prison for terms ranging from 15 to 30 months for accepting bribes to back Miranda.

• Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P): 13 lawmakers
• Golkar: 11 lawmakers
• PPP: 3 lawmakers
• Military/Police: 1 lawmaker

Nunun Nurbaeti was sentenced to two-and-a-half years' imprisonment for disbursing the bribes to lawmakers.