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embers of a House of Representatives committee established to probe alleged election fraud in South Sulawesi claim to have found indications of widespread fraud during the 2009 polls.

Akbar Faisal, a People’s Conscience Party (Hanura) lawmaker and member of the House committee on “election mafia”, said the document forgery case implicating former Constitutional Court justice Arsyad Sanusi and former General Elections Commission (KPU) member Andi Nurpati indicated that the 2009 general elections may be riddled with fraud.

Andi left the commission soon after the election to join the Democratic Party, which won the most votes.

“The case has provided us with a clear chronology confirming allegations that election fraud did occur in the 2009 polls. It is very likely that such fraud was carried out on a bigger scale and involving more people,” he said.

Akbar said he had information that up to 18 million votes in the 2009 presidential election — when President Susilo Bambang Yudho-yono won a second term with 73.9 million votes, or 60.8 percent of the 121.5 million valid votes — were reportedly invalid.

“The committee will use this forgery case as a platform to uncover other election fraud,” committee member Arif Wibowo of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said.

The document forgery case first erupted when Constitutional Court chief justice Mahfud MD claimed to have filed a report with the National Police on the case in September 2009 and that the police had only recently followed up the report.

Police have named former Constitutional Court clerk Mashuri Hasan a suspect in the case. The Constitutional Court claims he did not act alone in the crime and that Arsyad and Andi may have ordered him to fake a court letter to award a House seat to Hanura’s Dewi Yasin Limpo.

The official ruling awarded the House seat to Mestariani Habie, a politician from the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra). The KPU revoked its decision when it was notified by the Constitutional Court about the fake letter.

Arsyad and Andi denied the allegations, with Arsyad accusing Mahfud of carrying out a smear campaign against him. However, witnesses, both from the Constitutional Court and the KPU, have testified against the two before the House committee.

Committee member and Democratic Party lawmaker I Gede Pasek Suardika said the committee was not set up to attack his party, despite Andi’s alleged involvement. “When the case broke out, Andi was not a member of the Democratic Party, so this case has nothing to do with our party,” he said.

Akbar said Andi’s move to the ruling party could be seen as “an attempt to seek political protection or compensation from the party in return for her efforts to support the party when she served at the KPU”.

KPU official I Gusti Putu Artha said he would not stall efforts to uncover election fraud, adding that election fraud may have occurred not only at the KPU, but also at the Constitutional Court, which had the authority to settle election disputes.

Center for Electoral Reform political analyst Hadar Nafiz Gumay said he supported efforts to expand the committee’s probe.

“Our election system is complex and provides room for manipulation. Andi’s case may just be the tip of an iceberg,” he said.