In October 2007, Globe Asia magazine named Nunun Nurbaeti as one of the 99 most powerful women in Indonesia. Two years later, the antigraft body implicated her in a bribery case at parliament.
Fifty-six-year-old Nunun was not widely known until her name was made public earlier this month in the indictment of legislator Dudhie Makmun Murod from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).
Dudhie is one of four former lawmakers that the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has named as suspects for allegedly taking bribes in the 2004 election of Miranda S. Goeltom as Bank Indonesia senior deputy governor.
During investigations into the case, it was revealed that all four had received bribes from Nunun.
Nunun’s lawyer, Partahi Sihombing, says she refuses to talk to the press for fear of “complicating the situation”.
“[Nunun and Miranda] are only acquaintances,” Partahi said. “Ibu Nunun befriends many people.” He denied her alleged role in the case against the lawmakers.
An official KPK document revealed that Nunun handed over 480 traveler’s checks, each worth Rp 50 million, totaling Rp 24 billion (US$2.64 million), to 39 lawmakers as gratuities for voting for
Miranda.
Partahi denied his client had organized the distribution of the traveler’s checks, or had her business colleague, Arie Malangjudo, deliver money to lawmakers as accused.
So far, Nunun has been questioned by the KPK once.
She and Miranda will be summoned by the Corruption Court to testify on the bribery case, according to KPK spokesman Johan Budi.
Nunun was previously known only as a businesswoman and the wife of then National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen. Adang Daradjatun.
Adang rose from district police chief to National Police deputy chief in 2007.
After establishing her business when Adang was district police chief, Nunun eventually extended operations into various sectors including telecommunications, the media and palm oil, reports say.
With Arie and her family members, Nunun in 2000 formed PT Wahana Esa Sejati, a Sumatra-based oil palm plantation company.
The company was headquartered in Menteng, Central Jakarta, where, according to the indictment, Arie, under orders from Nunun, handed bribes over to two then legislators.
The two lawmakers were Udju Djuhaeri of the then Indonesian Military/Police faction and Hamka Yandhu of the Golkar Party.
Udju’s dossier also mentioned that Adang persuaded House of Representatives members from the now dissolved National Military/Police faction to vote for Miranda.
In late 2007, Adang resigned from his post and ran for the Jakarta gubernatorial election with support from the Prosperous and Justice Party (PKS).
Reports said Nunun acted as a “cashier” distributing money to the media, social movements and other parties supporting Adang.
Adang eventually lost the governorship to Fauzi Bowo, but in 2009 was successfully elected as lawmaker for the PKS.
