Ina Parlina, Jakarta – Graft defendant and former Democratic Party treasurer Muhammad Nazaruddin made further allegations against his former colleagues on Wednesday, claiming that the party chairman Anas Urbaningrum was awash in cash that allowed him to purchase luxury goods and buy votes to win the party's top job.
Nazaruddin, speaking to reporters shortly before his trial session at the Jakarta Corruption Court, claimed Anas owned several luxury items as well as a significant holding in PT Anugrah Nusantara, a Nazaruddin company that has been implicated in a graft-ridden solar-power-procurement project at the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry in 2008.
Nazaruddin then produced a vehicle-ownership document for a Toyota Alphard, a luxurious multipurpose vehicle. The ownership document showed Anugrah as the first owner of the vehicle with Anas listed as second.
Anas has denied he owned the car, saying that he borrowed it from friends claiming it was normal for a party chairman to be seen as a wealthy individual.
While on the run in July, Nazaruddin had said he took large sums of money from state budget-financed development projects, most of which was spent buying votes for Anas in the party's chairmanship race last year, and also on luxury houses and cars for him.
Nazaruddin is believed to have run dozens of businesses and used his firms as proxies for bidding on government projects that were then subcontracted to larger companies.
He also alleged that Anas ran Anugrah Nusantara. "Anugrah Nusantara belongs to Anas. Here is [the vehicle-ownership license] as proof," Nazaruddin said, while showing the document,
He also showed transaction documents showing that Anas purchased a 30 percent stake in Anugrah in 2007. However, Anas has claimed he relinquished his shares in 2009.
Nazaruddin also repeated his statement that Anas spent almost US$7 million to buy votes during the party's chairmanship election last year.
"It is actually obvious as people know Anas' track record. How come he is still rich although he has had no job since he left the General Elections Commission [in 2005]?" Nazaruddin asked. "If only the KPK could see it; just check his SPT [tax return]."
After KPK questioning in September, when Anas was quizzed as a witness for suspect Timas Ginting in the manpower ministry case, Anas told reporters he denied any involvement in the case and declined to clarify whether money from Anugrah went to his party congress in Bandung last year.
Nazaruddin insisted that Anas spent $6,975,000 to buy votes the day before the party congress in 2010. He claimed the money was distributed to 325 members of local branches who later voted for Anas.
He added that Rp 50 billion (around $5 million at that time) of the money was obtained from PT Adhikarya, the contractor for the Hambalang sports complex project, and Rp 20 billion from Adi Saptinus, an individual representing that company. Nazaruddin said that he had evidence of the transactions, which proved Anas' involvement in the Hambalang project.
"After Anas became chairman, Yulianis gave Anas the receipts [of the transactions]. Anas then instructed me to check the receipts. That is why I have the copies," he said, referring to a person whom he has claimed was the financial director of Anugrah Nusantara.
At the hearing trial on Wednesday, the panel of judges decided to continue with proceedings, rejecting Nazaruddin's request to halt the trial.
"The court announces that it rejects the objections of the defendant and his legal team," said presiding judge Darmawati Ningsih.