Police to question Abdul Gafur over bribe

Police to question Abdul Gafur over bribe

Yogita Tahil Ramani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

President Megawati Soekarnoputri had given her approval to
allow police to question North Maluku's governor elect Abdul
Gafur amid allegations he bribed fellow legislators to vote him
governor, the National Police said on Wednesday.

Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Saleh Saaf said the president's
approval was required by law as Gafur was a member of the
People's Consultative Assembly.

Saleh however declined to reveal the specifics of Gafur's
questioning.

Gafur's planned questioning relates to the alleged money
politics involved in his campaign before the gubernatorial
election on July 5, 2001.

The case surfaced when several legislators at the provincial
legislative council revealed that two other legislators --
believed to be from rival parties -- took a bribe from Gafur to
drum up support for his governorship.

Gafur won the election on July 5, 2001, but so far, the
president has yet to formalize his victory, a signal that she
will not approve his inauguration.

Anticorruption laws and the Criminal Code provide punishment
for both those giving a bribe and those taking one.

While the police are investigating the case, Gafur's
inauguration has been suspended indefinitely.

Meanwhile, Gafur expressed his shock at being declared a
suspect in the case.

"I was never questioned by police over this case. How can I be
declared a suspect," Gafur told reporters, as quoted by Antara.

According to Gafur, the incident began when Golkar Party
member Muhammad Sahafin made a written statement alleging Gufur
was involved in money politics during the elections.

"He made that statement on July 6 in 2001. But, on Dec. 10
last year, Sahafin retracted his written statement against me,
and he stated that he was pressured by a certain party to sign
the initial statement against me," Gafur said.

"When Sahafin has already retracted his written statement, why
am I being called a suspect?"

The Police in North Maluku have also declared a local
legislator a suspect in connection with the bribe scandal.

"I will not give you the suspect's name. He was the one who
had received the money, allegedly from Gafur," former North
Maluku Police chief Insp. Gen. Farouk Muhammad told reporters at
the National Police Headquarters in Jakarta on Tuesday.

"Gafur is not a suspect yet... but we are getting there. Gafur
will most likely be questioned later by National Police, since
this case involves very complicated evidence."

A source at National Police stated that the suspect was
Muhammad Sahafin from the Golkar Party.

"It is Sahafin... since he was the one who received Rp 66
million from Gafur," the police officer told The Jakarta Post on
Tuesday.

The source added that Sahafin, currently in North Maluku
police custody over bribery charges, was arrested at the Sultan
Baabullah Airport after a visit to Jakarta.

Gafur reportedly gave Sahafin Rp 66 million while United
Development Party legislator Sudara said he did not receive any
money although he admitted that someone had attempted to bribe
him.

Both Sudara and Sahafin have provided provincial legislative
council documents relating to the case, which have been accepted
as evidence.

Farouk made his comments after handing over his post to the
new North Maluku Police Chief, Brig. Gen. Sunarko, during a
ceremony at the National Police Headquarters on Tuesday.