No case yet against KPU members: KPK
Eva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) said that it had not yet found any convincing evidence against Minister of Justice and Human Rights Hamid Awaluddin, and other existing and former members of the General Elections Commission (KPU), linking them with the current high profile graft case involving the commission.
KPK deputy director Tumpak Hatorangan told The Jakarta Post that the commission did not intend to discriminate against other KPU members, who have been prosecuted for their alleged roles in the malfeasance of state funds during the holding of the 2004 general elections.
"We just haven't found any strong evidence implicating them in this case yet. So we are not able to up the status of our investigation from a preliminary to an intensive one," Tumpak said on Saturday.
KPU chairman Nazaruddin Syamsudin, member Mulyana W. Kusumah, and secretary-general Sussongko Suhardjo have been prosecuted by the KPK as defendants in the case. Another KPU member Rusadi Kantaprawira is being detained and facing trial.
Mulyana and Sussongko were recently sentenced to 31 months and 30 months in jail respectively for attempting to bribe a state auditor.
But Hamid, who was a KPU member before being appointed a member of the current Cabinet, fellow former KPU member Anas Urbaningrum, and existing members Ramlan Surbakti, Chusnul Mar'iyah and Valina Singka Subekti have been spared prosecution.
Hamid was the government's chief negotiator in the peace talks with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM). The government and GAM signed a peace accord on Aug. 18 in a bid to end the three-decade long conflict in Aceh.
The corruption charges against KPU members centered around the marking up of election costs, including the cost of procuring election materials and services. KPU officials have also been accused of collecting millions of dollars in kickbacks from companies that won procurement contracts from the KPU.
Tumpak denied that the investigation against Hamid and Anas had been halted, stressing that the KPK would actively seek out new evidence.
Previously, Romli Atmasasmita, a professor of law from Bandung's University of Padjajaran, who headed the committee that selected the current KPK members, criticized the KPK for being discriminatory in investigating graft cases involving state officials and politicians.
Romli said the KPK had excluded Hamid and Anas because the former is a Cabinet minister, while the latter has recently joined President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party.
Romli also insisted that the KPK should proceed with its investigation against them as KPU financial bureau head Hamdani Amin and treasurer Sri Ampini had previously testified in court that all nine KPU members were involved in the case.
Hamdani had said that Nazaruddin received around US$140,000 in kickback money, while the other KPU members received $105,000 each, the secretary-general $45,000 and his deputy $30,000.
"Pak Romli can say whatever he pleases ... but the truth is he does not know the details of our investigation process, does he?" Tumpak said.
He added that even though the testimony of Hamdani and Sri clearly pointed to the involvement of all KPU members in the case, it was not strong enough to be used as the basis for the launching of an intensive investigation.
Tumpak also denied any intervention by third parties.
He added that the KPK had no plans to question Hamid and other KPU members, but said he would attend Hamdani's trial, at which Hamid will testify.
"We hope that we might get some valuable information from there," Tumpak said.