C

orruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chairman Abraham Samad said that the anti-graft body was currently investigating the existence of a company in Riau allegedly tied to the money laundering activities of former Democratic Party chairman and graft suspect Anas Urbaningrum.

'€œWe are currently investigating the existence of a mining company and [Anas'€™] other assets,'€ Abraham said on Tuesday.

Abraham did not disclose either the name of the company or the alleged '€œillicit assets'€, but he promised that as long as there was enough evidence, the assets would be confiscated.

So far, the KPK has confiscated two plots of land '€” measuring 7,670 and 200 square meters respectively '€” in Mantrijeron district in Yogyakarta; three plots of land in Panggungharjo village in Bantul regency, also in Yogyakarta; and a plot of land and a house on Jl. Duren Sawit, East Jakarta. All properties are registered under the name of Anas'€™ father-in-law, Attabik Ali.

KPK deputy chairman Bambang Widjojanto said that the KPK was remaining tight-lipped over the alleged illicit assets for the sake of the investigation.

'€œThere is information that we cannot disclose publicly as it might affect the investigation,'€ Bambang said, refusing to estimate the value of the assets belonging to Anas that had been tracked down by the KPK so far.

'€œWe cannot say a figure if the investigation is still in progress. Just wait until it is done,'€ he said.

Graft suspects, Bambang added, always hid their ill-gotten assets systematically, thus, advanced efforts should also be carried out when tracing them.

Earlier, graft convict and former Democratic Party treasurer Muhammad Nazaruddin disclosed that Anas owned a number of illicit assets across the country, including a hotel in Bali and a mining company, PT Panahatan, in Riau.

Anas, who has been in KPK custody since Jan. 10 this year for graft, has been accused of violating the 2010 amendment of the Money Laundering Law and the 2003 version of the same law, which combined carry a maximum of 20 years'€™ imprisonment.

The decision charge Anas under the 2003 version of the law indicates that he allegedly laundered ill-gotten money while serving as a commissioner at the General Elections Commission (KPU) between 2001 and 2005.

Before being named a money-laundering suspect, Anas was also named a suspect in the graft-ridden Hambalang sports complex project in West Java for allegedly accepting a new car from PT Adhi Karya, the construction firm that won the tender.

KPK investigators also accused him of accepting Rp 2.2 billion (US$194,000) from the same company to fund his successful campaign for party chair during the Democratic congress in 2010.

Nazaruddin said that Anas owned a number of assets that were allegedly given by Teuku Bagus Mohammad Noor of PT Adhi Karya.

Anas'€™ legal team said that they allowed the KPK to confiscate assets belonging to their client as long as there was enough evidence to prove the assets were related to money laundering.