The Corruption Court is on the verge of summoning two witnesses who allegedly acted as cashiers, in the graft case of the election of former Bank Indonesia deputy Miranda S. Goeltom.
The Court plans to summon lawmakers Panda Nababan and Miranda’s friend, Nunun Nurbaeti, who reportedly served as her “cashier” in the Rp 24 billion (US$2.6 million) bribery trial of lawmakers who allegedly accepted bribes for her 2004 election. The Court will also summon Miranda as a witness.
Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) spokesman Johan Budi said the date of the key witnesses’ summonses had not yet been set.
Miranda has been accused of buying votes for her election. Forty two of 54 members of the House of Representatives’ Commission IX on banking voted for her.
Three of the 39 lawmakers who allegedly received bribes from her are currently on trial, with more likely to follow.
If the three are eventually convicted, Miranda would probably be arraigned as a suspect as well.
Panda is a senior politician from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), who allegedly received Rp 1.45 billion in bribes. Others reportedly received between Rp 200 million and Rp 500 million in traveler’s checks.
Nunun, the wife of former National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen. (ret.) Adang Daradjatun who is now a lawmaker for the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), allegedly acted as a middleman.
KPK documents reveal that Nunun ordered her then business colleague, Arie Malangjudo aka Ahmad Hakim Safari, to hand over envelopes containing the traveler’s checks to the lawmakers.
Nunun’s lawyer, Partahi Sihombing, acknowledged that his client was a friend of Miranda’s. “But Ibu Nunun didn’t offer bribes to lawmakers in the name of Ibu Miranda,” he said.
According to the dossier of PDI-P lawmaker Dudhie Makmun Murod, one of the suspects, Panda ordered Dudhie to take the traveler’s checks from Arie.
“A few hours after voting, Panda called me, ‘Dud, please call this number, the man will hand over some gifts’,” Dudhie said.
After receiving the gift from Arie at a restaurant near the House, Dudhie called Panda back.
“Sir, I have the gift. What’s next?”
“Panda replied, ‘OK, distribute it to our friends’,” Dudhie said as quoted in the dossier.
Eva Kusuma Sundari, Panda’s PDI-P colleague at the House, said Panda clarified his alleged role
in the case in front of other PDI-P lawmakers.
“He denied several points arising during the investigation,” Eva said.
Observers said testimonies from Miranda and Nunun would be very important since the KPK had not yet named any suspected bribers.
Dudhie’s lawyer, Amir Karyatin, said it was strange that a bribery case ended with no briber.
KPK deputy chairman Bibit Samad Rianto, however, said it was not out of the ordinary. “People who say it is strange have no idea how to be an investigator,” he said.
Bibit, however, said more suspects would surface in the case.
The KPK has named four suspects in the case, Dudhie, Endin Akhmad Jalaluddin Soefihara of the United Development Party (PPP), Hamka Yandhu of Golkar and Udju Djuhaeri, then member of the military/police faction in the House.
