KPK presses ahead with graft probe at KPU

Eva C. Komandjaja and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) continued on Tuesday its investigation into alleged corruption at the General Elections Commission (KPU), interrogating three KPU officials and seizing documents owned by declared suspect Mulyana W. Kusumah.

Mulyana, a KPU member who was arrested by KPK investigators last Friday for allegedly trying to bribe a state official, was taken from Salemba Penitentiary to his office at the KPU building on Jl. Imam Bonjol, Central Jakarta, at 11 a.m. on Tuesday.

For about four hours, KPK investigators examined documents in Mulyana's office, seizing 61 of them believed to contain evidence of corrupt activities at the KPU.

Mulyana's lawyers Denny Kailimang and Sirra Prayuna were quoted by Antara as saying that Mulyana explained to KPK investigators the contents of each of the seized documents during the four-hour raid.

However, the lawyers refused to tell reporters what kind of documents had been seized from their client's office, saying that the contents were highly confidential.

Separately, KPK deputy chairman Erry Riyana Hardjapamekas told The Jakarta Post that the commission would focus on the bribery case involving Mulyana before expanding the investigation into other KPU members.

"There is a possibility that other KPU members will soon be named as suspects but we have to wait for the results of our investigation before we can name names," Erry said.

Mulyana, a noted criminologist and human rights activist, was arrested at a hotel in the West Jakarta area while in a meeting with an official from the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) who was in charge of auditing last year's general election funds.

According to previous reports, Mulyana was apparently caught by KPK officers attempting to bribe the BPK official with cash totaling Rp 150,000 (US$15,800), in an apparent effort to persuade the auditor to conceal alleged misuse of KPU funds.

The arrest itself remains a matter of controversy, with Mulyana's lawyers accusing the KPK of setting up their client, thus violating criminal code procedures (KUHAP). However, the KPK insists that it has special privileges to investigate major corruption suspects as stated in Article 12 of Law No. 30/2002 on the KPK.

Apart from seizing Mulyana's documents, KPK investigators also questioned three KPU members -- head of the finance bureau Hamdani Amin, secretary-general Sussongko Suhardjo and a KPU official named Mubari -- on Tuesday.

The moves came after KPK investigators decided to search through documents at the KPU office in a determined bid to discover other evidence on the alleged embezzlement of public funds.

However, Erry refused to disclose the results of the interrogation sessions, claiming that he had not yet received reports from his investigation team.

Meanwhile, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said he supported KPK's efforts in ridding Indonesia of corruption.

"The president supports moves by the KPK in eradicating corruption from Indonesia. Nobody is immune from the law in this country," Andi Mallarangeng, the presidential spokesman, told the press at the State Palace on Tuesday.

Andi said that corruption eradication has been Susilo's top priority since he took office last year.

"The success of the KPK in eradicating corruption is the success of the government as well," he said.

Earlier, a coalition of non-governmental organizations accused the KPU of involvement in markup practices in the procurement of election materials that caused losses to the state of some Rp 375 billion.