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.