KPK aims to charge other KPU members of elections body

KPK aims to charge other KPU members of elections body

Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

With General Elections Commission (KPU) chairman Nazaruddin
Sjamsuddin and several of his colleagues convicted on corruption
charges, only three more commission members are awaiting trial on
similar charges of graft at the national polls body.

The three are justice minister Hamid Awaluddin, who was in
charge of ballot paper procurement when he served as a KPU
member, Mulyana W. Kusumah who managed ballot box procurement and
Daan Dimara who was responsible for the procurement of ballot
paper seals.

Deputy chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK)
Tumpak Hatorangan Panggabean said his office had made some
progress in the investigation into alleged graft in the three
projects.

"The investigation into these projects is ongoing and the
three people have been questioned several times," he told The
Jakarta Post here on Thursday.

While Tumpak said the KPK would soon announce its progress in
the case, he did not specify a date.

The investigations were based on the results of an audit by
the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) and the testimony that KPU
treasurer Hamdani Amin made in court, he added.

Hamdani, who was sentenced to four years' imprisonment in a
KPU graft case, testified that all the 10 commission members,
including Hamid, received kickbacks from companies that supplied
election materials to the vote body.

"We are still collecting more evidence from KPU staff and
these companies to support Hamdani's testimony," Tumpak said.

He did not report on the progress in similar investigations
into four other KPU members -- Chusnul Mar'iyah, Anas
Urbaningrum, Valina Singka and Ramlan Surbakti.

Tumpak said the BPK found irregularities in the IT procurement
project handled by Chusnul Mar'iyah, but the audit agency
discovered no state losses caused by the case.

"The public should trust the KPK that the KPU corruption cases
will be investigated thoroughly. There is no politicking or
discrimination in handling the cases," he said.

So far only two KPU members -- Nazaruddin and Mulyana -- have
been convicted of graft by the Anticorruption Court, along with
Hamdani and commission deputy secretary-general Sussongko
Suhardjo.

Another KPU member Rusadi Kantaprawira, who was in charge of
the ink procurement project, and commission deputy treasurer M.
Dentjik, are separately on trial at the same court.

Tumpak said Mulyana, who has been jailed for bribing a state
auditor in a bid to influence the results of a BPK audit on the
KPU's financial report, would likely face new corruption charges
related to the ballot box project.

Nazaruddin was sentenced to seven years in prison on Wednesday
for corruption in awarding an insurance contract worth Rp 14,9
billion (US$1.4 million) to insurance firm PT Bumi Putra Muda. He
was also fined Rp 300 million.

Mulyana and Sussongko were imprisoned for 2.5 years and three
years respectively for bribing state auditor Khairiansyah Salman.

Separately, KPK director of gratuity affairs, said his
office's success in unveiling the KPU cases was a "starting
point" for the KPK to investigate corruption cases in other state
institutions.

"It is a moral imperative for the KPK to work harder in the
war on corruption," he said, adding that the government hurry
along the enactment of the witness protection bill to encourage
the public to report corruption to the commission.