Andi Mallarangeng told to tell the truth

Jakarta: The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) wants Andi Mallarangeng to tell the truth and nothing but the truth when the youth and sports minister comes to the Jakarta Corruption Court on Wednesday.

Andi is slated to testify against ousted Democratic Party treasurer Muhammad Nazaruddin in the scandal involving a Rp 191.7 billion (US$21.3 million) construction contract issued by the Youth and Sports Ministry.

“We hope Pak Andi will tell the truth about what he knows about the case so that the case may be unfolded clearly,” KPK spokesman Johan Budi told reporters on Tuesday.

Nazaruddin is accused of masterminding a plan to solicit bribes to award PT Duta Graha Indah (DGI) the contract to build the Southeast Asian Games athletes’ village in Palembang, South Sumatra.

Prosecutors previously alleged that Nazaruddin accepted Rp 4.6 billion in bribes from middlemen Yulianis and Oktarina Furi on behalf of DGI official Mohamad El Idris, who is currently serving a two-year prison sentence for his role in the case.

Oktarina was the personal assistant of Nazaruddin’s wife, Neneng Sri Wahyuni, herself a suspect in another procurement bribery case.

The alleged middlemen were employed by the Permai Group, a holding company owned by Nazaruddin and allegedly used to win bids for government projects that were then subcontracted to larger companies in exchange for bribes.