Andreas D. Arditya, Jakarta – House of Representatives lawmaker Yusuf Emir Faishal admitted Tuesday to receiving money related to a forest conversion in Banyuasin, South Sumatra, but claimed to have given the money to his party.
The National Awakening Party (PKB) politician showed journalists two receipts for transfers worth a total of Rp 800 million (US$87,200) to two PKB deputy chairmen, before he faced questioning as a suspect at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) office.
Neither of the receipts specifies the money is related to the forest conversion.
One bank transfer receipt, dated Nov. 14, 2006, shows that Emir sent Rp 300 million to PKB deputy chairman Aris Junaidi. However, according to the payment details, the money was to pay a hospital bill for Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, chief patron of the party.
On July 20, 2007, Emir transferred Rp 500 million to Muamir Mu'in Syam, another PKB deputy chairman, for the construction of a party building.
Aris Junaidi denied the money he had accepted was related to the conversion or that it was a hospital bill payment.
"The party had given him Rp 900 million for a regional election campaign. He had used Rp 50 million for a PKB anniversary celebration and returned Rp 300 million to me, but it remains unclear what happened to the rest of the money," Aris said.
The KPK named Yusuf a suspect last week, accusing him of accepting money in connection with the conversion of 600 hectares of Tanjung Api-api mangrove forest into a seaport. He is the second lawmaker declared a suspect in the case after Sarjan Taher of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party. The KPK has detained Sarjan, who has admitted accepting Rp 260 million in the forest conversion.
Both Yusuf and Sarjan were members of House Commission IV overseeing food, forestry and fisheries when the forest conversion permit was passed by the House in July 2007.
The forest conversion procedure requires the forestry minister to seek approval from House Commission IV before a ministerial decree concerning the conversion can be issued.
Commission IV approved the forest conversion and recommended that the forestry minister issue the permit.
Yusuf claimed that commission leaders and representatives of the House factions who attended a meeting in the same month decided to allow lawmakers to accept money.
"The law on political parties also does not forbid lawmakers from accepting donations, especially if it is related to their constituents," he said.
Later Tuesday, the KPK searched Yusuf's house in Serpong, Tangerang. KPK investigators have collected documents from the house.
Yusuf's bribery case has also implicated Al Amin Nasution, who was a member of the commission at the time of the related events. Amin, a member of the United Development Party, has also been named a suspect in another bribery case in a forest conversion in Bintan regency of Riau Islands.
Yusuf is the sixth active House lawmaker to have been named a suspect for alleged bribery this year.