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People's representatives urge KPK to take over BLBI case
The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Mon, 09/15/2008 5:15 PM | National
A number of House of Representatives and Regional Representative Council (DPD) members have demanded the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) take over the Bank Indonesia loan scandal.
In a joint declaration on Monday, the representatives said the KPK had no other excuse to delay taking over the case from the Attorney General's Office (AGO).
Legislators urged the AGO to reopen the probe into the Bank Indonesia liquidity support (BLBI) case, which allegedly involved tycoon Sjamsul Nursalim, following the Corruption Court's conviction of non-active state prosecutor Urip Tri Gunawan, who led AGO's previous investigation into the case.
Attorney General Hendarman Supandji, however, insisted the guilty verdict against Urip did not constitute new evidence for the AGO to reopen the case.
DPD member Marwan Batubara said the court's verdict illustrated that there were a lot of problems with the AGO's probe into the case. Furthermore, he said, a lot of reports and studies concluded that the BLBI case caused hundreds of trillions rupiah in state loses.
"It's urgent that KPK take over the case," he said, as quoted by Antara news agency.
The court sentenced Urip to 20 years in prison for receiving a US$660,000 bribe from businesswoman Artalyta Suryani to stop investigating Sjamsul in the BLBI case, which cost the state more than Rp 25 trillion (US$2.6 billion) in losses.
Marwan refuted that there were any political and business interests behind the movement, which was also backed up by former chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly Amien Rais, criminal law expert Romli Atmasasmita, legal practitioner Bambang Widjojanto, and several activists of the Indonesian Corruption Watch.
Legislators who signed the declaration included Soeripto and Ami Taher of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), Ade Daud Nasution of the Star Reform Party (PBR), Dradjad Wibowo of the National Mandate Party (PAN), and Abdullah Azwar Anas and Effendi Choirie of the National Awakening Party (PKB).
DPD members joining the declaration include Marwan, Rusli Rachman, Benyamin Bura, I Wayan Sudirta, Benny Horas Panjaitan, Abdul Muhyi Abidin, Frans X. Assan, Aryanti Baramuli Putri,
Nurmawati Bantilan, Marwan Aidid and Tonny Tesar. (dre)
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