F

ormer justice and human rights minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra lashed out at House of Representatives lawmakers Friday in his latest attempt to resist an investigation into his alleged involvement in a Rp 420 billion (US$46.2 million) corruption case.

Yusril accused a number of lawmakers from House Commission III on Law and Human Rights of pressuring Attorney General Hendarman Supandji to name him a suspect in the online graft case.

Yusril said he, his brother Yusron and Malam Sambat Kaban, chairman of the Crescent Star Party (PBB) which Yusril founded, recently met Attorney General Hendarman to discuss the case.

“Hendarman said that he met with a number of legislators from House Commission III who told him to name me a suspect as soon as possible, or they would establish a working committee to ask the Attorney General to investigate a bribery allegation against State Secretary Sudi Silalahi,” Yusril said at the House on Friday.

Yusril said Hendarman had named him a suspect without sufficient evidence in response to external intervention. “I was named a graft suspect even before the attorney general could secure sufficient evidence,” Yusril said.

The case concerns an online service that provided notarization and permit registration under then-minister Yusril and PT Sarana Rekatama Dinamika (SRD), which won the tenure to build the site in 2001.

The contract stipulated that the private company would receive 90 percent of the revenue from the site, and the remainder would go to the ministry cooperative.

Between April 2001 and November 2008, the service generated more than Rp 420 billion in access fees, which the prosecutors said should have gone to state coffers.

Yusril said the project did not constitute corruption allegations because there were no losses to the state.

Former director general of legal administration at the ministry, Romli Atmasasmita, his successor Syamsudin Manan Sinaga, and
PT SRD president director Yohanes Waworuntu were all found guilty in the case and have been imprisoned.

Commenting on Yusril’s allegation, Commission III member Ahmad Yani from the United Development Party (PPP) said he was aware of the meeting between legislators and Hendarman, but added that the meeting did not mention anything about naming Yusril a suspect.

Yusril has answered two summonses from the Attorney General’s Office (AGO), but has refused to be questioned on the grounds that Hendarman was not a legitimate attorney general.

State prosecutors have also named Hartono Tanoesudibjo, brother of media mogul Harry Tanoesudibjo, a suspect in the corruption case.