The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has called former forestry minister Malam Sambat Kaban as a witness in a bribery case relating to the 2004 election of a senior Bank Indonesia official.
"We summoned him today and he has been here since 10 a.m. He is still testifying," KPK spokesman Johan Budi told reporters Tuesday.
"He is being questioned as a witness to the alleged distribution of traveler's checks to several legislators in relation to the election of the central bank's senior deputy governor, Miranda Swaray Goeltom," Johan said.
He added Kaban was supposed to have been questioned last Friday but that he had asked investigators to delay his session due to prior engagements with the Crescent Star Party (PBB), of which he was a member. He had been summoned again Monday but could only appear Tuesday.
At the conclusion of his questioning session, Kaban said he testified as a witness for graft suspects Hamka Yandhu and Endin J. Soefihara, and rejected suggestions he had received any traveler's checks in return for his role in the election.
"I was asked about the election process," he said, adding that he knew nothing about the distribution of traveler's checks' among House members.
"I did not vote for Miranda at the time because my party considered Miranda to be heavily influenced by the IMF," he added.
Kaban was a member of the House of Representatives' commission overseeing banking and finance when the alleged irregularities took place.
The KPK has declared four former legislators - Hamka from the Golkar Party, Endin from the United Development Party (PPP), Dudhie Makmun Murod from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), and Udju Juhaeri from the House's military wing - suspects in the case.
Udju has been suspended from his current position in the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) due to his being a suspect.
The case emerged after a former legislator, Agus Tjondro Prayitno of the PDI-P, admitted to having received Rp 500 million (US$50,000) in traveler's checks from fellow legislator Emir Moeis a few days after the House approved Miranda as the BI senior deputy governor in 2004. Miranda won 41 out of 54 votes from the House commission overseeing banking and finance in June 2004.
The KPK has yet to declare Emir or Miranda suspects in the case.
A report from the Financial Transaction Report Analysis Center (PPATK) showed that there were 400 traveler's checks linked to Miranda's election but that only 10 of them were personally cashed in by the legislators themselves.
Kaban has also been mentioned in other graft cases. Witnesses who testified in the trial of legislators and former senior Bank Indonesia officials involved in a Rp 31 billion bribery case related to BI's liquidity support settlement (BLBI) and BI law amendment, identified Kaban as a recipient of graft money.
The witnesses accused Kaban and his colleague, former state national development planning minister Paskah Suzetta, of receiving Rp 300 million and Rp 1 billion respectively.
