Semarang mayor named bribery suspect

(Tempo/Budi Purwanto)

Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigators have named Semarang mayor Sumarmo Hadi Saputro as a suspect in a bribery case.

“We have found strong evidence pointing to his role in the bribery case,” KPK spokesman Johan Budi SP said on Friday.

Johan said Sumarmo was not detained and was expected to attend a questioning session as suspect next week.

He said Sumarmo’s involvement in the bribery case was firstly unveiled by another suspect in case, Achmad Zaenuri, a former Semarang city administration secretary.

Achmad, whose case is now being tried at the Central Java graft court, had testified before the court that Sumarmo had given the order to his subordinates to prepare Rp 10 billion of funds that would be allotted to bribe local councilors so they would pave the way for the city administration to ask for officials’ salary increase.

City officials had allegedly been able to collect Rp 4 billion, with the funds being given to the local councilors. (dic)