Graft suspect Nazaruddin to face trial soon: KPK

Muhammad Nazaruddin, the high-profile graft suspect who became a poster boy of rampant corruption at the House of Representatives, will stand trial soon, with the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) saying Wednesday that it was close to completing a draft of its indictment against him.

KPK spokesman Johan Budi told The Jakarta Post that the commission would have the draft completed on Thursday and send it to the Corruption Court for prosecution.

The trial will begin within two weeks after the submission of the indictment, Johan added.

Nazaruddin, the former Democratic Party treasurer and lawmaker, allegedly masterminded a bribery scheme to rig a tender for the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games’ athletes’ village construction project, worth Rp 191.7 billion (US$21.39 million), in Jakabaring, South Sumatra.

On Tuesday, KPK chairman Busyro Muqoddas also said that Nazaruddin would be brought before the Corruption Court by the end of this week for the Sea Games case.

He said that Nazarruddin would likely face multiple charges, including money laundering, with a report from the Financial Transaction Reporting and Analysis Center (PPATK) indicating that Nazaruddin may also be implicated in several other corruption cases.

The KPK has prosecuted three people in relation to the Sea Games case: Mindo Rosalina “Rosa” Manulang, who was Nazaruddin’s aide; Muhammad El Idris, director of the company that won the contract for the project; and Wafid Muharam, an official at the Youth and Sports Ministry.

Rosa and Idris have been convicted for their roles in the case, receiving prison terms of 2.5 years and two years, respectively. Wafid is currently still on trial.

Rosa, Wafid and Idris were caught red-handed by the KPK in April with Rp 3.2 billion of alleged bribery money in their possession, while Nazaruddin was arrested in Colombia in October after being on the run for some time.

Besides the four suspects, the KPK has summoned many Democratic Party politicians and legislators as witnesses, such as Angelina Sondakh, M. Nasir and Mahyudin N.S., and Youth and Sports Minister Andi Mallarangeng. I Wayan Koster, a member of the House’s Commission X on sports and a lawmaker with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), has also been questioned in the case.

The KPK has also summoned leaders of the House budget committee, including Tamsil Linrung and Olly Dondokambey, following Nazaruddin’s claim that the committee was complicit in the graft.

Busyro said the KPK would soon name a new suspect in the case, and that he or she would come from one of the political parties. (rpt)