Another poll commission member admits to accepting kickbacks<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Like several other members of the General Elections Commission
\n(KPU), Daan Dimara admitted on Wednesday to receiving US$30,000
\nfrom companies that supplied poll materials to the national poll
\nbody.<\/p>\n
However, KPU treasurer Hamdani Amin earlier insisted that all
\nKPU members, including Daan, received $110,000 each, with the
\nfunds being disbursed in April, June and December 2004<\/p>\n
Testifying at the graft trial of Hamdani, who has been charged
\nwith embezzling KPU's insurance and tactical funds, Daan denied
\nreceiving $110,000 through the defendant.<\/p>\n
\"I received a total of only $30,000 that was paid in three
\nphases. I kept the money because the defendant (Hamdani) told me
\nthat the money was from KPU chairman Nazaruddin Sjamsuddin. But I
\nreturned it to the Anticorruption Commission (KPK) on June 7,
\n2004 after learning about the case through the media,\" Daan said.<\/p>\n
He said he never asked Nazaruddin about the money after
\nreceiving it from Hamdani.<\/p>\n
Daan also said he knew nothing about the tactical funds
\nreportedly collected as kickbacks by the defendant from private
\nfirms that won procurement projects from the KPU.<\/p>\n
\"I did not know whether the funds were taken from the state
\nbudget or not,\" he argued.<\/p>\n
Hearing the witness' complicated testimony and inconsistent
\nstatements, the panel of judges, presided over by Kresna Menon,
\nrebuked Daan and reminded him he was under oath.<\/p>\n
A judge asked Daan, a former assistant to the rector of the
\nUniversity of Cenderawasih in Jayapura, Papua, as to why he
\naccepted the money but did not ask the KPU chairman about it.<\/p>\n
The witness did not answer the judge's question.<\/p>\n
Nazaruddin, who is also standing trial in the same case, has
\nadmitted to accepting $44,900, while deputy KPU chairman Ramlan
\nSurbakti told the court last week that he got only $35,000.<\/p>\n
Another KPU member, Rusadi Kantaprawira, said he received only
\n$7,800.<\/p>\n
However, other KPU members, including current Minister of
\nJustice and Human Rights Hamid Awaluddin, have denied benefiting
\nfrom the tactical funds and said they had learned through media
\nreports that several KPU members had returned the money to KPK
\ninvestigators.<\/p>\n
Part of the tactical funds was also reportedly given to other
\nKPU officials, including deputy secretary-general Sussongko
\nSuhardjo, who was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in jail for
\nhis involvement in the graft case.<\/p>\n
The judges adjourned the trial until Oct. 12 to hear from
\nwitnesses testifying on behalf of Hamdani.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/another-poll-commission-member-admits-to-accepting-kickbacks-1447893297",
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