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KPK lifts travel ban on Djoko Tjandra
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) lifted a travel ban on PT Mulya Intan Lestari's director Djoko Soegiarto Tjandra after he was cleared of involvement in a bribery case involving senior state prosecutor Urip Tri Gunawan and businesswoman Artalyta Suryani
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The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) lifted a travel ban on PT Mulya Intan Lestari's director Djoko Soegiarto Tjandra after he was cleared of involvement in a bribery case involving senior state prosecutor Urip Tri Gunawan and businesswoman Artalyta Suryani.
"We lifted the travel ban long ago, before the Idul Fitri holidays," KPK deputy chairman Bibit Samad Rianto told reporters on Tuesday, referring to a Sept. 26 decree.
On April 24, the KPK requested the immigration office ban Djoko from leaving the country, as he was believed to have been mentioned in a recorded telephone conversation between Artalyta and the former assistant attorney general for special crimes, Kemas Yahya Rahman. In a conversation played at one of Artalyta's trial sessions the two talked about "Joker", a suspected code name for Djoko.
Djoko was investigated by the Attorney General's Office (AGO) regarding the Rp 546 billion (US$43.68 million) Bank Bali loan scandal. The bank is now defunct.
The money was a commission for PT Era Giat Prima (EGP), owned by Djoko and Golkar Party lawmaker Setya Novanto, for its service in helping the bank recoup more than Rp 900 billion in interbank loans form Bank BDNI (also now defunct) that were guaranteed by the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA).
This commission was allegedly used to help finance former president B.J. Habibie's reelection campaign.
Bibit said the KPK decided to lift the ban on Djoko as the anti-graft body did not have enough evidence to proceed in its investigation.
"The KPK did not issue an investigation letter for Djoko as we do not have any proof (of the relationship between Artalyta and Djoko)," he said.
He added that the KPK might have had suspicions at that time, but needed evidence to prove them.
Artalyta, a close relative of tycoon Sjamsul Nursalim, was found guilty of paying Urip a bribe of US$660,000. Urip led the AGO's (BLBI) investigation team. He then stopped its investigation of the now defunct Bank Dagang Nasional Indonesia (BDNI), which is owned by Sjamsul.
Artalyta was sentenced to five years in prison; Urip got 20.
