T

he Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) needs to look more to the top and the elites of a political parties in its investigation of a vote-buying case that involved dozens of politicians, a central bank top official and at least one business persona in 2004, an attorney says.

“The KPK should ask the party elites to testify because this has a connection to the parties. Faction leaders handed over [bribes] for a presidential campaign,” said Petrus Celestinus, who represents eight suspects from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), on Wednesday.

Petrus said the bribes, paid in the form of traveler’s checks, were not accepted by his clients’ on an individual level, but had been received at the discretion of party leaders.

The KPK has already named eight suspects from the PDI-P, who were mostly not party elites. On Sept. 1, the commission named Max Moein, Poltak Sitorus, Engelina Pattiasina, Muhammad Iqbal, Jeffrey Tongas Lumban Batu, Ni Luh Mariani Tirtasari, Sutanto Pranoto and Matheos Pormes, and 16 other suspects in the case.

“Before the checks were delivered, the party issued letters instructing these legislators as a party cadre with a request to support the campaign. The letters, signed by Tjahjo Kumolo, said there would be funds for their activities,” Petrus said.

“The checks went to party leaders first and were later distributed to the legislators,” he said.

From 1999 to 2004, Tjahjo was the PDI-P chairman at the House of Representatives.

On Wednesday, the KPK summoned several suspects including politicians from various parties, former senior deputy governor of Bank Indonesia Miranda S. Goeltom and businesswoman Nunun Nurbaeti, who allegedly distributed the bribes to buy votes for Miranda.

Miranda has testified as a witness for 22 suspects.

“I still have to testify for four other suspects,” Miranda said after the questioning session at the KPK office.

The same day, the KPK also summoned Nunun, the wife of former National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen. Adang Daradjatun, for a third time. However, Nunun failed to comply with the request because of illness, according to a letter sent by her family. (lnd)