Nurhayati defense rejected, trial continues

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The Jakarta Corruption Court on Tuesday rejected defense statements from former member of the House of Representatives budget committee Wa Ode Nurhayati over bribery and money-laundering charges surrounding the deliberations of the 2011 Regional Infrastructure Adjustment Fund (DPID).

With the decision, the three judges, led by Suhartoyo, ordered the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to press ahead with its case.

On June 19, Nurhayati delivered a defense statement calling for the judges to throw out the prosecution case, saying that the indictment was weak.

Nuhayati maintains that she is not guilty of bribery and money laundering. During Tuesday’s hearing, Nurhayati’s legal team pleaded that the case against its client was flawed because the House member was named a suspect without prior investigation.

Lawyers also pointed to a flaw in the indictment which failed to clearly state Nurhayati’s role in the case.

The indictment states that Nurhayati accepted Rp 6.25 billion (US$662,500) in bribes from three businessmen, Fahd El Fouz (earlier identified as Fahd A. Rafiq), Saul Paulus David Nelwan and Abram Noach Mambu, to secure the DPID disbursement in three regencies in Aceh (Pidie, Benar Meriah and Aceh Besar) and Minahasa, North Sulawesi.

Haris Andi Surahman, a Golkar Party member, is alleged to have been the middleman in the case, delivering the bribes from Fadh El Fouz to Nurhayati.

The prosecutors also charged the 30-year-old National Mandate Party (PAN) lawmaker with three money laundering violations on finding that, on several occasions, hundreds of millions of rupiah had been transferred through her Bank Mandiri account, reaching a total of Rp 50.59 billion.

“The indictment is clear and complete. There is no regulation setting a limit on when a person can be named a suspect in a legal case. As for the defendant’s role in disbursing the DPID funds, it has yet to be verified during this trial process,” said Suhartoyo.