T

he Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) conducted raids on several locations from Thursday to Friday afternoon as part of its investigation into an ongoing corruption case at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry.

The antigraft body said Friday that it had seized Rp 2 billion (US$164,000), several documents and a hard drive from the Central Management of State Property (PPBMN) office on Jl. Pegangsaan I, Cikini, Central Jakarta.

Besides the PPBMN office, the KPK also raided the office of the Energy and Mining Foundation (YPE) at Plaza Centris Building and an apartment in Taman Rasuna Kuningan, both in South Jakarta.

KPK spokesperson Johan Budi said the raids were conducted in connection with the investigation of bribery suspect and former Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry secretary-general Waryono Karno.

Waryono was charged after the KPK arrested and detained former head of Upstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Special Task Force (SKKMigas) Rudi Rubiandini, who was caught red-handed accepting a bribe of $400,000.

'€œWe don'€™t yet know what the money is for, because the investigators just came back at 5 p.m. today. We will have more information later,'€ Johan told reporters on Friday.

Johan declined to say whether the seizures would lead to a new investigation.

Previously, the KPK had confiscated $200,000 in a raid at Waryono'€™s office shortly after Rudi'€™s arrest. It remains unclear whether the money is related to Rudi, who is now standing trial.

Johan said that KPK was building the case and looking at whether other people were involved.

The case against Rudi and Waryono has exposed the rampant corruption in the nation'€™s energy sector.

Recently, a witness in Rudi'€™s trial claimed that Rudi once told him that SKKMigas '€œowed'€ the House of Representatives $1 million and that Rudi had sought his help in obtaining $500,000 to pay the '€œdebt'€.

The witness, Gerhard Marteen Rumeser, claimed that Raden Priyono, who then headed BPMigas, had promised the lawmakers the money for unknown reasons. BPMigas was disbanded by the Constitutional Court in November 2012 and later replaced by SKKMigas.

Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Jero Wacik is also believed to be involved in the case though he has denied any wrongdoing.

Jero was questioned by the KPK on Rudi on Dec. 3, and said that he respected the ongoing investigation into corruption in his ministry.

The KPK has also interrogated a number of top officials in connection to the case, including members of the House of Representatives'€™ Commission VII overseeing energy and natural mineral resources '€” Sutan Bhatoegana, Zainuddin Amali and Tri Yulianto '€” and state-owned oil company Pertamina president
director Karen Agustiawan. (gda)