The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has announced that Syamsul Arifin, former Langkat regent, and current North Sumatra governor, has been included on its target list for alleged involvement in various graft cases.
KPK deputy M. Yasin said Syamsul was believed to be involved in many graft cases and that his office needed more time to investigate.
Yasin said that part of his visit to Medan was to gather various facts about the alleged corruption committed by Syamsul.
"Our presence here is to gather statements and information about various corruption allegations involving Syamsul when he was the Langkat regent," Yasin told reporters after conducting an impromptu inspection at the Medan office of the National Land Agency (BPN) on Thursday.
Yasin explained that Syamsul was involved in various alleged graft cases, but he acknowledged that he did not remember the forms of graft allegedly committed by Syamsul during his term as Langkat regent.
"I have forgotten the various cases, but obviously it was not just one case," said Yasin.
Asked whether the cases involved the misuse of funds from the Langkat regency budget, Yasin affirmed that was part of the KPK's probe.
He said the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) assessment indicated the misuse of Langkat regency budget funds totaling Rp 101 billion (about US$10.1 million) between 2000 and 2007.
According to Yasin, Syamsul has returned part of the funds.
"Syamsul has returned Rp 67 billion of those funds, but it will not have an influence on the investigation we're conducting on him," said Yasin, adding that his office would summon a number of people believed to be aware of the alleged corruption committed by Syamsul.
Syamsul led Langkat regency for two consecutive terms from 1998 to 2008, after which he was elected as the North Sumatra governor for the 2009-2013 term through a direct election.
Yasin said his office had questioned Syamsul in his capacity as Langkat regent in Jakarta on Tuesday, adding that a KPK team was currently evaluating the investigative results.
"The team will hand over the evaluation results to the KPK to determine whether or not the former Langkat regent committed corruption," said Yasin.
He added the KPK would resume investigation at the next level if the team found enough evidence.
In response to the likelihood of intervention from Golkar leaders in Syamsul's case, keeping in mind that Syamsul was elected as the party's North Sumatra Provincial Executive Board (DPD) chairman, Yasin emphasized that no one could intervene in the KPK investigation.
Syamsul earlier denied that he was questioned by the KPK in Jakarta, saying that he visited the KPK office to process a seminar on graft in Medan.
On Thursday, Syamsul was scheduled to speak at a seminar in Medan, but he skipped the event.
Last week, Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU) head Benny Pasaribu said his office was collecting facts and reports to be submitted to the court on indications of a conspiracy in the tender projects of highways and bridges built during Syamsul's term as Langkat regent.
Pasaribu said the reports were closely related to the KPPU's recent decision on the presence of violations in the tender process during Syamsul's term.
In the reports, Benny said a number of businessmen and tender organizers had been reprimanded, such as being banned from taking part in tender projects in Langkat for two years.
Benny added that citizens had reported 20 tender schemes for roads, bridges and irrigation channel projects worth Rp 300 billion during Syamsul's term as Langkat regent, but the KPPU has only probed several of them.
- JP/Apriadi Gunawan
