Election body chief detained<\/p>\n
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
The anticorruption drive has again bared its teeth, with the
\narrest on Friday of General Elections Commission (KPU) chairman
\nNazaruddin Sjamsuddin for alleged involvement in graft involving
\nthe poll body.<\/p>\n
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) issued arrest
\nwarrant No. 04\/V\/2005\/P.KPK, which was signed by head of the
\nantigraft body's investigation unit Tumpak Hatorangan Panggabean.
\nThe warrant also declares Nazaruddin a suspect for allegedly
\noffering or accepting bribes, a violation of articles 5 and 11 of
\nLaw No. 31\/1999 on corruption eradication, which carries a
\nsentence of between four years in prison and life imprisonment.<\/p>\n
\"We have incriminating evidence from the witnesses questioned.
\nThey all said it was his (Nazaruddin's) responsibility. Their
\nbank accounts will serve as written proof. We expect to discover
\nmore evidence,\" KPK secretary-general Sugiri Syarif said.<\/p>\n
Nazaruddin is the fourth KPU official to be named a suspect in
\nthe high-profile scandal, which revolves around the arrest of KPU
\nmember Mulyana W. Kusumah when he was reportedly caught red-
\nhanded trying to bribe a Supreme Audit Agency auditor at a
\nJakarta hotel on April 8.<\/p>\n
KPK then arrested acting secretary-general Sussongko Suhardjo
\nand treasurer Hamdani Amin, who led the investigators to discover
\nNazaruddin's suspected role in the collection of Rp 20 billion
\n(US$2.1 million) in kickbacks from firms that provided election
\nmaterials.<\/p>\n
Nazaruddin denied any wrongdoing upon first being questioned
\non Thursday.<\/p>\n
The arrest is thought to have taken Nazaruddin by surprise
\nwhen he arrived at his office at around 11 a.m. only to see KPK
\ninvestigators waiting for him with an arrest warrant. The
\ninvestigators also searched his office.<\/p>\n
KPK investigators allowed Nazaruddin to say Friday prayers at
\nthe KPU office and change his shirt at his house in Jagakarsa,
\nSouth Jakarta, before taking him to the antigraft commission
\noffice on Jl. Veteran in Central Jakarta for questioning. Several
\nKPU staff members shook hands with Nazaruddin in an apparent
\nfarewell to their boss.<\/p>\n
The questioning was still underway as of 10:30 p.m. on Friday.<\/p>\n
While Nazaruddin refused to comment on his arrest, lawyer
\nYosef Badioda said his client knew nothing about the kickbacks
\npaid by companies that won tenders to procure election materials
\nlast year.<\/p>\n
Corruption watchdogs first warned of rampant graft within the
\nKPU during the selection process of tenders. Each KPU member
\nhandled at least one tender for the procurement of election
\nmaterials, citing efficiency despite their apparent incompetence.<\/p>\n
Responding to Nazaruddin's arrest, House of Representatives
\nlawmaker Akil Mochtar suggested that the legislative body speed
\nup the selection process of new KPU members in order to save the
\npoll body.<\/p>\n
\"Both the House and the government have to immediately discuss
\nthe selection of new KPU members as some of the existing members
\ncan no longer carry out their jobs,\" Akil of the Golkar Party was
\nquoted by Antara as saying.<\/p>\n
KPU personnel have been reduced to six, after Hamid Awaluddin
\nwas appointed justice and human rights minister in the Cabinet of
\nPresident Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.<\/p>\n
Akil asserted the urgency to save the commission, now that
\nregional elections were drawing near.<\/p>\n
\"The investigation into alleged corruption in the KPU should
\nnot disrupt regional elections,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The KPU, he added, would be unable to reach the quorum
\nrequired to make decisions related to the administering of
\nregional elections. The Constitutional Court has ruled that the
\nKPU oversees Regional Elections Commissions, which organize local
\npolls.<\/p>\n
\"We don't know who the next KPU member to be arrested will be
\nin connection with the alleged corruption being investigated by
\nthe KPK,\" Akil said, adding that he doubted the credibility of
\nexisting KPU members.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/election-body-chief-detained-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}