The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Thursday grilled Edi Soemarsono, a case broker allegedly involved in bribing KPK leaders to halt an investigation of a company owned by graft fugitive, Anggoro Widjojo.
The bribery was initiated by Anggoro's brother Anggodo.
"I was questioned about bribery attempts and attempts to obstruct the investigation of Anggodo," Edi told reporters at the KPK building.
Edi was questioned for around seven hours. Edi said he was asked 24 questions related to the wiretapped conversations between Anggodo and his lawyer Bonaran Situmeang, related to a Rp 7 billion (US$740,350) fund, which was intended for high-ranking officers at the National Police and the Attorney General's Office (AGO).
The conversations were played at the Constitutional Court last month in a judicial review of the 2002 KPK Law filed by two suspended KPK deputies, Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra M. Hamzah.
The two deputies were named as suspects for alleged abuse of power, bribery and extortion against Anggoro.
The accusations against Bibit and Chandra were allegedly fabricated by Anggodo with the involvement of several senior officers at the National Police and the AGO.
The wiretapped conversations strengthened such suspicions and forced President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to make an official statement ordering the police and the AGO to stop legal process against Bibit and Chandra.
The AGO recently issued a warrant to drop the two cases against Bibit and Chandra. They are now waiting for a presidential decree to reinstate them as KPK deputies.
Edi revealed that he was also asked about his role in the plot to frame the two deputies, saying that he was the one that provided information about possible bribery involving the KPK deputies and the dismissed KPK chairman Antasari Azhar.
Antasari later met with Anggoro in Singapore in a meeting arranged by Edi.
Antasari recorded Anggoro's testimony, claiming that he had distributed Rp 5.1 billion in bribes to the KPK deputies to halt the investigation of a corruption case implicating his company PT Masaro Radiokom.
Anggoro said the money was distributed through Ari Muladi who handed over the money to someone named Yulianto, who has yet to be seen in public.
Based on testimonies from Anggoro and Ari, Antasari filed a report against his deputies to the police.
Antasari made the report while he was under police detention as suspect in the murder case of Nasruddin Zulkarnean, which is currently underway.
Ari later retracted his testimony saying that he had never handed over the money to any KPK leaders or officials.
Aside from Edi, the KPK also questioned Ari twice in relation to attempted bribery and attempted obstruction of its investigation process allegedly committed by Anggodo.
National Police chief spokesman Insp. Gen. Nanan Sukarna said that considering his major role in the whole KPK saga, Anggodo could be accused of committing at least six crimes, including defamation, extortion, attempted bribery and threatening and insulting public officials and institutions.
However the KPK will only handle those related to corruption.
