T

he Attorney General’s Office (AGO) failed on Thursday to garner any information from Dian Anggraini, the wife of graft suspect Dhana Widyatmika.

Speaking to reporters after a three-hour interrogation session at the AGO headquarters, Dian said she used her right to remain silent based on the Criminal Procedures Code (KUHAP) Article 168.

“I have come here as a witness and I exercised my legal rights. My attorney will give more details about the questioning session,” Dian said.

 “After consulting the team of investigators we chose to say nothing for the time being. Based on the KUHAP, Dian has no obligation to provide information, given her position as the suspect’s spouse,” one of Dian’s attorneys, Daniel Alfred, told reporters.

Dhana, a junior tax official, is suspected of accepting gratuities and bribes from taxpayers based on an early report from the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) that revealed he had Rp 28 billion (US$3.08 million) and $250,000 deposited in 18 banks.

No testimony: Dian Anggraini, the wife of graft suspect Dhana Widyatmika, arrives at the Attorney General’s Office in Jakarta on Thursday. Dian refused to testify in the case against her husband, who has been charged with tax embezzlement. JP/Ricky YudhistiraInvestigators suspect that Dian may have abetted her husband’s alleged illicit activities.

Separately, Attorney General Basrief Arief said that investigators would expand their investigation of the case.

“We won’t stop only with Dhana. We suspect that there might be a new suspect that we should pursue. It all depends on the evidence that we uncover,” he said.

He said that it was not easy to gather evidence in the case.

Basrief also said that prosecutors had a hard time determining the exact total of Dhana’s assets.

“We must first prove that Dhana’s assets derive from corruption, and then we can confiscate more of his assets,” he added.

The AGO has so far confiscated 17 trucks owned by Dhana, a safe deposit box containing land titles, Rp 10 million and $28,000 cash and a kilogram of gold.

The AGO named Dhana a suspect in the case on Feb. 17 and has detained him in the AGO headquarters’ branch of the Cipinang Penitentiary since March 2.

On Tuesday, investigators also questioned officials from PT Bangun Persada Semesta (BPS), a contractor company in which Dhana had invested some money. Lawyers for the company confirmed that the company was linked to Dhana.

“Dhana and Agus Purwanto [an employee at BPS] spoke with each other quite often. Dhana’s investment did not happen overnight,” said Rudjito, an attorney for BPS.

He said BPS was founded in 2007 and had completed at least five property projects. Dhana was involved in the company’s fifth project.

Media reports have indicated that Dhana had invested in six companies including BPS.