Politicians welcome move to detain KPU chief
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Top politicians welcomed the move to detain General Elections Commission (KPU) chief Nazaruddin Syamsuddin, saying it signaled real progress in the ongoing investigation of the high-profile corruption case.
Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Hidayat Nur Wahid said on Saturday that he fully supported the graft investigation, and expected the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to continue to expand the investigation to include other influential names, even lawmakers who may have been involved in the case.
He said that progress in the investigation would be a boost to the current campaign against graft in the country.
"The KPK must press ahead in carrying out its job to curb corruption," he was quoted by Antara as saying while in Batam.
KPK named Nazaruddin as suspect in the graft case late on Friday for his alleged role in the corruption case and put him in detention (for a 20-day period) at the Jakarta Police detention facility.
According to the head of KPK's investigation unit Tumpak Hatorangan Panggabean, during the interrogation on Friday, Nazaruddin only admitted that he had received US$45,000 in what is believed to be money from kickbacks from private firms that won bids to supply election materials during last year's election.
Tumpak also said that the funds had been seized as evidence by the KPK.
Nazaruddin is the fourth KPU official named a suspect in the corruption case, which started with the arrest of KPU member Mulyana W. Kusumah in April after he was discovered in the act of allegedly bribing a state auditor in a bid to influence audit result on KPU funds.
The KPK had previously detained the election commission's interim secretary-general Sussongko Suhardjo and treasurer Hamdani Amin. The two have acknowledged that the KPU collected some Rp 20 billion (about US$2.15 million) in kickbacks from a handful of domestic private firms. The two said that Nazaruddin was the one who made the order to collect the money and distribute it to all the KPU officials, some House of Representatives members and auditors at the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK).
There have been calls recently for the KPK to also investigate other high-profile KPU officials, including current Minister of Justice and Human Rights Hamid Awaluddin, who was a key KPU member last year when the kickback money was supposedly paid.
Lawmaker Andi Muawiyah, head of the National Awakening Party faction at the House, also welcomed the progress made by KPK in the investigation of the KPU graft case, saying that the case was a test for the Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono administration's commitment in curbing corruption.
"We fully support the KPK's investigation. This must be continued, not only at the KPU, but also in (corruption-ravaged) state-owned enterprises," he said.