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KPK seeks link in bribery case
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is looking to connect the arrests of a senior prosecutor and a businesswoman with the recently dropped graft cases against tycoons Sjamsul Nursalim and Anthony Salim
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The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is looking to connect the arrests of a senior prosecutor and a businesswoman with the recently dropped graft cases against tycoons Sjamsul Nursalim and Anthony Salim.
Prosecutor Urip Tri Gunawan and businesswoman Artalita Suryani were arrested on Sunday as part of a bribery investigation.
"We are investigating possible links between Artalita and Sjamsul Nursalim," KPK chairman Antasari Azhar told a news conference Tuesday.
He said the graft body was also looking into Artalita's reasons for giving Urip US$660,000, which investigators allege was a bribe.
Urip led an investigation by a team of prosecutors from the Attorney General's Office into Nursalim's alleged Rp 28.4 trillion embezzlement of Bank Indonesia liquidity support (BLBI) funds.
Last Friday, the AGO announced it was dropping the investigation into Nursalim and Anthony Salim in the BLBI cases.
Artalita, a gemstones trader, is also a vice commissioner of PT Indonesia Prima Property, which is involved in the real estate and property sector.
PT Indonesia Prima Property is partly owned by PT Gadjah Tunggal Mulia, a subsidiary of PT Gadjah Tunggal, which is partly owned by Nursalim .
Artalita's late husband Surya Dharma was a former boss of PT Gadjah Tunggal.
National Awakening Party (PKB) chairman Muhaimin Iskandar denied Artalita was once an executive of his political group.
Antasari went on to say the KPK was collecting evidence to link the bribery case with the BLBI corruption scandal.
"We will inform the public when we have sufficient evidence (on any connection)," he said.
He said the graft commission raided Urip's office at the AGO on Monday night to look for more evidence.
"We discovered additional documents but we are still analyzing them," he said, adding that these would be helpful in developing the investigation.
Antasari said it was possible other prosecutors allegedly involved in the bribery case would be questioned once the KPK had enough evidence.
"I strongly emphasize the KPK investigates people based on evidence, not just assumptions," he said.
He said he hoped the investigation process could help the AGO in searching for "bad" prosecutors in the office.
"I believe this will teach other prosecutors not to do the same thing," the KPK chairman said, adding that the AGO fully supported the investigations.
Attorney General Hendarman Supandji has ordered an internal investigation into all prosecutors allegedly involved in the Urip bribery case.
He said prosecutors subject to AGO questioning would include deputy attorney general for special crimes Kemas Yahya Rahman, who announced the decision to drop the investigation into Nursalim and Anthony Salim.
KPK investigators arrested Urip at 4:30 p.m. Sunday when he left a house in the South Jakarta housing complex of Simprug. The house is believed to be owned by Artalita.
Urip and Artalita were later named as suspects.
Urip is currently detained at the mobile Brigade Detention Center in Kelapa Dua, Depok, south of Jakarta, while Artalita is in custody at Jakarta Police headquarters on Jl. Gatot Subroto, South Jakarta. (ewd)
