Team to file report on Constitutional Court to KPK

The independent team set up to investigate an alleged bribery attempt on Constitutional Court justices, plans to submit its reports to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

“Today, we will submit the team's result of the investigation to the KPK,” team head Refly Harun said as quoted by tribunnews.com.

Refly said he would be accompanied by all team members, senior lawyers Adnan Buyung Nasution, Bambang Widjojanto, Saldi Isra and Bambang Hari Murti.

The team is expected to arrive at the KPK's office at 11:30 a.m..

Refly's move was made hot on the heels of the complaints filed earlier by Constitutional Court chief Mahfud MD and court justice Akil Mochtar to the KPK last week.

“I heard from media that they had filed complaints against me and Simalungun Regent [JR Saragih],” Refly said.

The team said earlier that its witnesses claimed to have seen Rp 1 billion (US$111,000) to be disbursed to nine of the Court’s justices, but did not find evidence that the justices received the money.

Refly earlier wrote an op-ed piece in Kompas daily where he claimed to have seen the money that was to be given to the justices to help his client, Simalungun Regent Jopinus Ramli Saragih, who was accused of manipulating his election win.

In his article, Refly also claimed to have first-hand information from an informer who said he had been asked by a Court justice to pay Rp 1 billion to ensure a favorable ruling.

Court chief justice Mahfud MD challenged Refly to prove the allegation and requested that he form an investigation team to find evidence within a month.

The team later said that it had failed to confirm whether the regent had been asked to bribe justice Akil Mochtar, who presided over the Simalungun appeal.

Justice Akil, who was implicated in Refly’s accusation, denied having any contact with the regent outside of the trial.