Hamid admits receiving funds outside monthly salary at KPU

Rendi A. Witular and Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Justice minister and former General Elections Commission (KPU) member Hamid Awaluddin admitted on Thursday receiving a large amount of money from the commission outside his monthly salary.

Other KPU members and staffers enjoyed the same benefits, he said, but added that he did not know whether the money they received was derived from funds collected by partner firms supplying election materials as kickbacks.

Hamid was responding to accusations by KPU treasurer Hamdani Amin that the current minister of justice and human rights and other KPU members had each received some US$105,000 from the partner companies.

However, Hamid quickly explained that the money he received was in the form of an honorarium paid for his participation in specific working groups or other activities related to the general elections.

"For example, like the preparations for political party campaigns, vote counting or public information campaigns for the elections," he said.

Such payments, he added, were traceable and could be accounted for because all the KPU members and staffers received similar payments from the commission's treasurer.

Asked if he knew whether the funds were disbursed legally, Hamid said he did not know, but asserted that the disbursement of the funds could be accounted for.

"And no, the total amount did not reach billions, or even hundreds of millions. That's an exaggeration. The amount varied depending on the length and intensity of the work. Sometimes I got Rp 590,000, Rp 700,000, Rp 1.2 million, or Rp 2 million," he said.

Other KPU members also reiterated on Thursday their innocence in the disbursement of the funds, although several officials from the KPU secretary-general's office have said otherwise.

Part of the funds was believed to have been used by KPU member Mulyana W. Kusumah to bribe a state auditor to alter audit results involving trillions of rupiah spent for last year's legislative election.

Similarly, KPU chief Nazaruddin Sjamsuddin again denied any wrongdoing in the bribery case, saying the money must have been from Mulyana's own pocket and thus had never been discussed in any KPU meeting as claimed by Hamdani.

"I can't prohibit my subordinates from doing something or from not doing something. Yes, I heard about a plan to bribe BPK auditors, but I did not hear it explicitly. It is impossible that I would order one of my members to commit a crime in which I didn't have any kind of interest," Nazaruddin said.

He also refused to say if he had any knowledge of tactical funds or compensation funds received from KPU suppliers.

"If we had not discussed the funds, how could I know? If the suppliers personally gave such compensation funds to KPU members, how would I know? We never discussed it in KPU plenary meetings," Nazaruddin said.

Other members, Daan Dimara and Anas Urbaningrum, also refuted the accusations.

Speaking to journalists after being questioned by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), Anas said he was quizzed in connection with his position as a KPU member and his role in last year's general elections.

During the questioning, Anas submitted his latest wealth report to the KPK, but refused to elaborate.

Also quizzed on Thursday were financial bureau deputy head N. Dentjik, election execution technical bureau head Maksum Wijaya Kusuma, and two staffers in the provision of ballot boxes, Suparno and Asrudi Tjriono.