KPKPN urges police to quiz Rachman over wealth report

A'an Suryana and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Public Servants' Wealth Audit Commission (KPKPN) filed a report on a possible corruption case involving Attorney General M.A. Rachman with the police for further investigation.

At the same time, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) hailed the KPKPN's move.

The KPKPN's chairman, Yusuf Syakir, defended his move to bring the corruption case to the police as this was required by the presidential decree on the commission and its duties.

"After the commission completed its (preliminary) investigation into a high-level state official, the commission found indications of corruption and the official told lies about his assets," he said after meeting police officers from the corruption department at National Police Headquarters.

During the investigation by the commission, Rachman gave contradictory explanations as to the sources of his assets.

Yusuf, who was accompanied by several commission members and legislators from the PDI Perjuangan, declined to identify the official involved, but his deputy, Petrus Selestinus, mentioned M.A. Rachman.

M.A. Rachman has been in the spotlight since he was accused of possessing ill-gotten wealth in the form of houses and luxury cars.

Public suspicions about possible corruption has been rife, especially as M.A. Rachman often gave conflicting accounts to the media over the sources of his wealth, which made it possible for him to buy luxury houses and cars.

Petrus said the police should investigate where Rachman obtained the money to buy his cars and palatial home in Cinere, South Jakarta.

Petrus suspected that Rachman had obtained it from illegal activities, as his salary during his career in the bureaucracy would not have been sufficient to cover the cost of constructing the house.

He added that the commission would submit a copy of the report to the President as Rachman's superior, but no date had been fixed for this yet.

Petrus further said the commission would also request the President to suspend Rachman in order to facilitate legal proceedings against him.

The political pressure has been mounting on Rachman since the PDI Perjuangan sided with the commission.

A deputy to the PDI Perjuangan secretary-general, Yacobus Mayong Padang, said after a party meeting in Lenteng Agung, South Jakarta, that the party, including Megawati, wanted the police to investigate the case immediately so as to uphold legal certainty.

"We see the report as a great leap forward for law enforcement and as soon as things become clearer, it will become easier for Megawati to make a decision regarding his fate," Yacobus said.

Megawati has criticized the increasing calls for Rachman's replacement, saying this would not solve the problem.

Spokesman for the Attorney General's Office, Barman Zahir, condemned the commission's move, saying it was illegal as the commission had failed to obtain the permission of the President.

"The commission's report to the police is unlawful as the commission is required to obtain the consent of the President," he said as quoted by Antara.