Anggodo Wijojo, younger brother of fugitive graft suspect Anggoro Widjojo, underwent a marathon interrogation in connection with his attempt to bribe antigraft body leaders.
Anggodo underwent a 13-hour investigation until late night Monday.
Many questions were asked regarding his wiretapped conversation with law enforcers and case
brokers in an attempt to have leaders of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) halt their investigation into the graft case concerning communication company PT Masaro Radiokom, belonging
to Anggoro.
“The investigation has been adjourned until Tuesday morning.
“Investigators have many questions to raise regarding the bribe attempt,” Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) spokesman Johan Budi told The Jakarta Post on Monday night.
Johan, however, declined to speculate on whether the investigation would end with the arrest of Anggodo as a suspect in the bribery attempt.
The wiretapped recording played at the Constitutional Court session Nov. 13, 2009, revealed an attempt by Anggodo to bribe KPK leaders to halt the investigation into the graft case of PT Masaro
Radiokom.
Following the broadcast of the wiretapping, Anggodo confessed to the media that he handed over Rp 5.1 billion (US$550,00) from Anggoro to the KPK leaders through case broker Ary Muladi, to have the inquiry into the Masaro graft case halted.
Bonaran Situmeang, a lawyer who was accompanying Anggodo in the case, insisted that his client did not necessarily undergo such an investigation, because the case implicating KPK deputies Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra M. Hamzah had been dropped.
The further investigation into Bibit and Chandra was halted after a presidential fact-finding team found the graft charges against the two was fabricated.
He, however, said that his client was ready to undergo the interrogation to provide an example of legal certainty and show its compliance with law supremacy.
“We expect that Anggodo will not be named a suspect in this case.
“But if he is labeled one, we will be ready,” Bonaran said as quoted by detik.com.
Bonaran refused to elaborate further about his strategy to defend Anggodo if he was held suspect.
Anggodo’s bribery attempt has been blamed for the slow investigation by the KPK into the Masaro graft case believed to have caused Rp 13 billion in state losses.
The antigraft commission has recently been under fire for its slow investigation into the bribery attempt.
The Indonesia Corruption Watch said the KPK had strong evidence to hold Anggodo as a suspect, since the latter admitted to have handed over the money to the KPK leaders through Ary Muladi, and Ary also had given his bank account details to the antigraft body.
Johan Budi said KPK investigators were digging deeper for information into Anggodo’s role in his attempt to bribe the KPK deputies.
He added that investigators would need more time before deciding whether the bribery attempt would be brought to court.
