Disgraced governor: Disgraced governor Banten Governor Ratu Atut Chosiyah enters a paddy wagon after being interrogated by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in Jakarta on Friday
span class="caption">Disgraced governor: Disgraced governor Banten Governor Ratu Atut Chosiyah enters a paddy wagon after being interrogated by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in Jakarta on Friday. The KPK has detained Atut in connection with the bribery of former Constitutional Court chief justice Akil Mochtar in the Lebak election dispute case. (JP/Jerry Adiguna)
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) arrested Banten Governor Ratu Atut Chosiyah after she was interrogated for around six hours on Friday.
Atut was interrogated as a suspect in a bribery case relating to the Lebak election dispute. It is expected that she will be detained at the Pondok Bambu penitentiary in East Jakarta.
'She will be detained for 20 days,' said KPK spokesperson Johan Budi on Friday, as quoted by Kompas.com.
Atut was seen leaving the KPK building wearing a bright orange detainee suit. The antigraft body named Atut a suspect on Dec.16.
Atut has been involved in the case since the very beginning by taking part in conditioning her brother, Tubagus Chaeri Wardana a.k.a Wawan, to win the dispute.
The KPK has already named Wawan a suspect for bribing former Constitutional Court chief justice Akil Mochtar in return for the latter's support in the Lebak regency election lawsuit.
According to reports, Akil, Atut and Wawan had once met in Singapore to discuss the handling of the Lebak elections lawsuit in hopes that the court would approve a demand for a repeat election as requested by Amir Hamzah and Kasmin, the regent and deputy regent candidate supported by the Golkar Party.
The KPK suspected that it was Atut who instructed Wawan, who was a member of the Amir-Kasmin's campaign team, to bribe the former court chief justice.
It was suspected that Atut had her own vested interest in an Amir-Kasmin's victory in the Lebak election.
The KPK also suspected the Banten governor of having been involved in a mark-up case in the procurement of medical equipment in Banten. Johan said the KPK had obtained two adequate pieces of evidence in the case and was investigating those involved. (ebf)
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