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Jakarta Post

PON graft may implicate lawmakers

Riau Governor Rusli Zainal has denied he attempted to inflate the budget for the construction of National Games (PON) venues and ordered a subordinate to pay bribes to lawmakers at the House of Representatives and Riau Provincial councillors

Margareth S. Aritonang (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Wed, August 8, 2012

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PON graft may implicate lawmakers

R

iau Governor Rusli Zainal has denied he attempted to inflate the budget for the construction of National Games (PON) venues and ordered a subordinate to pay bribes to lawmakers at the House of Representatives and Riau Provincial councillors.

Rusli maintained that he was innocent, despite conversations taped by Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigators when he attempted to suborn members of the regional council and House lawmakers.

“The arrangements concern only work and not bribery,” Rusli said as quoted by Antara.

Rusli said that head of Riau’s Sports and Youth Agency, Lukman Abbas, did inform him about a request for a payment of Rp 1.8 billion (US$190,800) to expedite the revision of two ordinances authorizing payment for the project. Rusli claimed he turned down the request.

“I have strictly asked the [then] head of the Riau’s youth and sports agency [Lukman] not to take a risk with such a request and should cancel the revision if necessary. I remember I was very furious when I knew about it,” he said on trial at the Pekanbaru district court.

KPK named seven members of the Riau local council Adrian Ali, Abu Bakar Suddik, Tengku Muhaza, Zulfan Heri, Syarief Hidayat, Moh. Roem Zein and Turoechsan Assyari, as suspects in the case. They are accused of receiving bribes to revise bylaw No. 6/2012 on the national games budget and include an additional Rp 900 billion, on top of the previously approved Rp 900 billion.

The antigraft body has named six other suspects in the case, including Lukman Abbas; Rahmat Syahputra, a staff member of construction firm PT Pembangunan Perumahan; Eka Dharma Putra, an official with Riau’s youth and sports agency; and three Riau legislative councilors – M Faisal Aswan of Golkar, M Dunir of the National Awakening Party (PKB) and Taufan Andoso Yakin of the National Mandate Party (PAN).

Lukman had earlier testified that 12 members of House Commission X on sports had also received Rp 9 billion each in bribes. Lukman said that lawmakers Kahar Muzakir of the Golkar party and Utut Adianto of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) were among those who received the money.

Lukman said the money was distributed soon after he handed a funding proposal for PON worth Rp 290 billion to Setyo Novanto of the Golkar Party during a meeting in his office attended by Riau Governor HM Rusli Zainal. Both Utut and Kahar denied the accusation.

“I have said that I knew nothing about the money nor did I receive any of it,” said Utut, a former chess grandmaster, who chairs the House working committee on PON. Kahar accused Lukman of lying under oath.

“All facts brought to a trial are legal matters, but people can still lie,” he said.

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