Golkar leaders to be summoned over Gafur scandal

Golkar leaders to be summoned over Gafur scandal

Yogita Tahil Ramani
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta

Police will likely summon two senior Golkar Party leaders for
questioning as witnesses in the bribery scandal involving North
Maluku Governor-elect Abdul Gafur.

National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Saleh Saaf said Agung
Laksono and Freddy Latumahina, both Golkar co-chairmen, were
poised to be summoned in connection with the Gafur case.

"The names of people mentioned by questioned witnesses will
most likely be summoned as well, including Agung and Freddy,"
Saaf told journalists on Tuesday.

"Both Agung and Freddy should not fear... it's just for
clarification."

Gafur is charged as a suspect with bribing members of the
North Maluku provincial legislative council to win the
gubernatorial election on July 5 last year.

President Megawati Soekarnoputri has given her approval to the
police to question Gafur. Her approval is required by law because
he is a member of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), the
nation's highest legislative body.

Six witnesses, who had been questioned by North Maluku police
detectives, admitted that Agung and Freddy were members of a so-
called "Victory Team" set up by Golkar to ensure that Gafur, its
senior cadre, won the election.

The six investigated witnesses were also part of the team,
according to Sr. Comr. Prasetyo, an officer with the National
Police Information Center.

"They stated that they were each offered money by Agung, Gafur
and Freddy to help Golkar win the election," he said. "When the
six did not receive the full amount promised to them, they then
backed out."

Prasetyo said the witnesses told police investigators that
Freddy and Agung arrived on June 1, 2001 in North Maluku and
conducted several intensive meetings at the Hotel Century Manado.

"One witness said he was offered Rp 1 million, but only
received Rp 250,000 in the end... the others also suffered the
same fate. So they all backed out," he said.

The meetings at the hotel were allegedly attended by North
Maluku legislators, including Yamin Tawari, who was elected as a
deputy of Gafur, said the six unidentified witnesses.

Agung had earlier said he was ready for questioning over the
bribery scandal.

The money-for-votes case surfaced when several members in the
province's legislative council revealed that two other
legislators -- believed to be from rival parties -- took bribes
from Gafur to drum up support for his governorship.

Megawati has indefinitely postponed endorsing the election of
Gafur, one of former autocratic president Soeharto's close
confidantes, as the North Maluku police were investigating the
scandal.

He once served as a youth and sports minister during
Soeharto's 32-year rule and wrote a biography on the country's
former dictator who was deposed from the presidency in May 1998
amid mass riots.

In a response to the scandal, the Golkar central executive
board was expected to suspend the party membership of Gafur who
has expressed shock at being declared a suspect.