KPK checks implications of Angelina’s relationship with investigator

JP/Ricky YudhistiraOn Anticorruption Day, which fell on Friday, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) announced that it was looking into an alleged affair involving one of its investigators and a graft case witness.

Outgoing KPK chief Busyro Muqqodas said the commission was investigating the relationship between an investigator, who he declined to name, and corruption witness Angelina Sondakh, a Democratic Party lawmaker who has been implicated in the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games graft scandal involving former Democratic Party lawmaker Muhammad Nazaruddin.

“There are indications that the pair are having a personal relationship and we are investigating this now,” he said Friday at the KPK headquarters in Jakarta.

Busyro described the affair as a “teenager” relationship.

To ensure that the relationship did not affect the commission’s investigation of Nazaruddin’s case, the investigator had been denied access to any information regarding the case, Busyro said.

“We have prevented [a conflict of interest] from occurring,” he said.

A source who declined to be named told The Jakarta Post that the investigator was Comm. Broto Suseno, who had graduated from the National Police Academy in 1999.

Broto had known Angelina since 2005, the source said.

The investigator was earlier reported by tempo.co to have been seen praying together with “Angie” on the Islamic Day of Sacrifices, in November.

The news portal also reported that Broto had divorced his wife one year ago.

Angelina, a former winner of the Miss Indonesia beauty contest, was the wife of late Tjandra Pratomo “Adjie” Samiadji Massaid, an actor-cum politician, who died from a heart attack early this year.

KPK spokesman Johan Budi pointed out that the investigator had not been involved in inves-tigations of graft cases linked to Angelina.

“We will conduct further investigations of how long have they known each other and whether it was before or after the [SEA Games] case. The investigator told Busyro that he had known Angie for quite a long time,” Johan said, adding that the investigator was still working for the commission.

Busyro said, however, that the KPK was in the process of transferring the investigator back to the
National Police.

Johan stressed that the relationship between the investigator and Angelina would not affect other investigators or hamper the case investigation.

Angelina’s involvement in the case first came to light in May when alleged go-between Mindo Rosalina Manulang told KPK investigators that Angelina had played an important role in the tender process for the athletes’ village project.

Angelina, who is also a member of House of Representatives Commission X overseeing sports, was alleged to have helped seal a deal to grant the project to PT Duta Graha Indah (DGI), a company affiliated with Nazaruddin.

In mid-June, Angelina’s name was mentioned again by Nazaruddin in text messages sent to the mass media. Graft fugitive Nazaruddin said Angelina and Wayan Koster, a lawmaker from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), should be held responsible for the case. He alleged that Koster had asked for a Rp 25 billion (US$2.7 million) bribe from DGI, which allegedly handed the money to Angelina, who then gave it to House budget commission chairman Mirwan Amir.

Koster and Angelina have denied Nazaruddin’s allegations.

Angelina, however, could not be reached for comment. (rpt/swd)