The bribery case centers on the construction of the Rp 191.7 billion (US$21.39 million) athletes’ village for the 2011 SEA Games in Palembang, South Sumatra, which were held last November.

According to Rosa, the case’s alleged mastermind, M. Nazaruddin, a former Democratic Party treasurer, paid Rp 500 million ($55,000) to the sports minister and an unknown amount to Andi’s brother Choel in order to win the project in a government-held tender.

The bribes were channeled through PT Permai Group, a company owned by Nazaruddin, according to Rosa, who was a marketing director working at that company for Nazaruddin.

“We gave the Rp 500 million directly [to Andi]. As far as I know the money was to be used for Pak Andi’s [Democratic Party] chairmanship campaign in Bandung [in 2010],” Rosa told a hearing session at the Jakarta Corruption Court on Monday.

Andi, a member of the Democratic Party advisory council and a confidant of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, was competing against the party’s current chairman, Anas Urbaningrum, and House Speaker Marzuki Alie to win the party’s top position on May 21, 2010. Choel Mallarangeng owns Fox Indonesia, one of the country’s most successful political consultancies.

Rosa said the bribe that the Mallarangeng brothers had accepted was only a part of the Rp 5 billion that the company paid to Angelina Sondakh, a member of the House’s budgetary committee.

She disbursed the money to Angelina (also a member of the Democratic Party) in two payments; the first Rp 2 billion and the second Rp 3 billion.

According to Rosa, Angelina distributed the money to members of the House’s budgetary committee.
Moreover, the bribe for the Mallarangeng brothers was only a small amount compared to the overall
Rp 20 billion that Nazaruddin’s company disbursed as “commitment fees”, Rosa said.

During Monday’s hearing session, Rosa also mentioned that Anas was the so-called “big boss” and that Mirwan Amir, the head of the House’s budget committee, also a party member, was the “big chief” behind the bribery scheme.

The two “big” terms were used in conversation between Rosa and Angelina when Rosa tried to negotiate the amount of the bribe via BlackBerry messenger, presented as a piece of evidence in the court.

Last week, Rosa promised that she would divulge the two “big” names. She claimed that she had been threatened in her cell at the Pondok Bambu detention center by people claiming to be relatives of Nazaruddin after she announced her intention.

They allegedly threatened to kill her and her family if she did not retract a statement she had made to investigators.

The SEA Games athletes’ village case trial was previously adjourned several times because Nazaruddin was too ill to stand for trial.

However, Nazaruddin, who was still not in good health on Monday, walked into court for the hearing, which was presided over by judge Dharmawatiningsih.

He was seen frowning and clutching his stomach as he walked slowly into the courtroom but he vowed not to let his apparent poor health disrupt the ongoing trial, “I am ill, but I am ready to undergo the hearing.”

The Jakarta Corruption Court had increased security checks during Monday’s hearing as spectators were crowding the court room and amid alleged threats aimed at Rosa. (rpt)

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