No case yet against KPU members: KPK

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.