House may repeat new building bidding process

The House of Representatives’ secretariat general may repeat the bidding process for the construction of  the House's new office building due to the graft case allegedly involving an executive of one of the five companies joining the bid.

Sumirat, the head of the maintenance and installation unit at the secretariat general, said Wednesday the rest of the bidding process had been temporarily suspended pending clarification from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) regarding the bribery case allegedly involving an executive of the company.

A director of the national construction and engineering company PT Duta Graha Indah (DGI), Mohammad El Idris, has been detained by the KPK in relation to the bribery case.

The DGI is one of the five companies that have passed the pre-qualification bidding process for the construction of the new, luxurious office building.

“We're also still awaiting the results of the evaluation by the Public Works Ministry,” Sumirat said in Jakarta, adding the DGI might be blacklisted.

“The decision [to blacklist the company] is with the House’s Domestic Affairs Agency,” he added.

El Idris was caught on Sunday after handing over checks worth Rp 3.2 billion (US$371,200) to Youth and Sports Ministry secretary Wafid Muharam.

The KPK said the checks were allegedly to bribe the ministry to approve DGI’s bid in the construction of facilities for the upcoming SEA Games in Palembang.