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ttorney General Basrief Arief confirmed on Friday that former health minister Siti Fadillah Supari had been named a suspect in a botched Health Ministry procurement case in 2005.

The chief prosecutor said the police had sent his office notification of the investigation’s commencement, with the former minister’s name included as a suspect.

“Yes, the special crimes division [of the AGO] has received the notification,” he said on Friday.

A letter confirming the beginning of a police investigation obliges the AGO to monitor the investigation.

Siti’s name was raised by a former subordinate during her 2004-2009 tenure as health minister, on Thursday. The former head of the ministry’s health crisis response center, Mulya A. Hasjmy, testified before the Jakarta Corruption Court on Thursday that he had been questioned by police “as a witness for suspect Siti Fadillah Supari”.

Mulya accused the former minister of ordering him “to help Indofarma win” during a tender for a medical-equipment procurement project. The defendant in the case being tried at the corruption court is the marketing director of the state-owned pharmaceutical firm Indofarma, M. Naguib.

However, the National Police said that the investigation was ongoing to determine the involvement of former health minister Siti in a 2005 Health Ministry corruption case.

“Up until now, there are still four suspects. Siti is not one of them,” National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. M. Taufik said on Friday.

He added that the police were still waiting for the results of the ongoing trial at the corruption court. “In the meantime, our investigators will continue with their probe and if they gain new evidence to support her being named a suspect, we will declare her a suspect,” Taufik said.

On Thursday, Siti’s former subordinates during her 2004 – 2009 tenure, Mulya A Hasjmy and Hasnawaty, revealed in their testimonies at the corruption court that the former minister had been named a suspect in the case.

According to Mulya and Hasnawaty, they had been questioned as witnesses by the police’s detective unit for “suspect Siti Fadillah Supari” about two weeks prior to Thursday’s trial.

Taufik said the police would ask for clarifications from Mulya and Hasnawaty regarding their statements. He provided no details as to when the police would summon them.

Siti has been implicated in numerous botched procurement cases.

So far Siti has claimed innocence in relation to all accusations made against her. (asa/dic/tas)