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.