T

he Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) locked up Golkar Party politician Haris Andi Surahman on Monday, who was named a suspect in a bribery case.

Haris was named a suspect for his alleged role in a bribery case surrounding the disbursements of the Regional Infrastructure Adjustment Fund (DPID) in 2010.

'€œI was once questioned by the KPK as a witness; now I am a suspect,'€ Haris told reporters shortly before being transported to Cipinang prison, where he will be kept as a detainee.

Haris also said that he would reveal some big names who served as middlemen between government officials and members of the House of Representatives in the deliberations of budgets for government projects.

'€œThe House is full of budgetary mafia, all middlemen. I will disclose information about this,'€ Haris said.

Haris played the role of a whistle-blower when he revealed details about the role of lawmaker Wa Ode Nurhayati in the bribery scandal.

Nurhayati, a former member of the House'€™s budgetary committee, is accused of accepting Rp 6.25 billion (US$650,000) in bribes from three businessmen to secure DPID funds.

The Jakarta Corruption Court sentenced Nurhayati, to six years in prison for bribery and money laundering in October last year.

Nurhayati was found guilty of violating the 1999 Corruption Law Article 12 on bribery by accepting Rp 6.25 billion in bribes from three businessmen, Fahd El Fouz, Saul Paulus David Nelwan and Abram Noach Mambu, to secure DPID funding.

The bribe was intended to secure the DPID disbursements for three regencies in Aceh: Pidie Jaya, Bener Meriah and Aceh Besar.

The DPID is a temporary budget project that allocates funds to several less developed regions.

The Jakarta Corruption Court sentenced Fahd to two-and-a-half years in prison for his role in the bribery scheme.

In his trial session, Fahd claimed that Haris had introduced him to Nurhayati, a service for which Haris received a fee from Fahd.

According to the indictment, Fahd learned about the DPID funds on Sept. 10, 2010. He then had a meeting with Haris at Golkar Party headquarters in Slipi, West Jakarta, in order to identify the lawmakers in the House who were in charge of the DPID disbursement.

The bribery scandal also involved House members Tamsil Linrung of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and Mirwan Amir of the Democratic Party, who played a role in disbursing the funds to different regencies.