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Anas indicted for graft, money laundering
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) indicted former Democratic Party leader and graft suspect Anas Urbaningrum on Friday, accusing him of embezzling state funds to support his presidential ambitions
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The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) indicted former Democratic Party leader and graft suspect Anas Urbaningrum on Friday, accusing him of embezzling state funds to support his presidential ambitions.
According to the indictment document that was made available to The Jakarta Post, Anas has been charged with one count of corruption and two accounts of money laundering, all of which was allegedly motivated by self-enrichment and the desire to finance a presidential bid.
The document states that Anas allegedly left his post as a commissioner on the General Elections Commission (KPU) in 2005 so that he could begin preparing his bid to run in the 2014 presidential election, which he sought to achieve using the Democratic Party as his political vehicle.
In the course of his alleged corruption it is claimed Anas accepted two vehicles ' a Toyota Harrier valued at Rp 670 million (US$57,597) and a Toyota Vellfire worth Rp 735 million ' and amassed a fortune totalling Rp 116.5 billion and $5.26 million.
In order to finance his political campaign, Anas allegedly joined graft convict Muhammad Nazaruddin in developing the Permai Group, which they were to use to harbor slush funds collected from state projects involving the Youth and Sports Ministry, including the construction of the Hambalang sports complex.
Anas is also accused of accepting bribes from both Nazaruddin and representatives of PT Adhi Karya, who were both competing for the Hambalang tender.
Nazaruddin, who was also the former treasurer of the Democratic Party, paid Anas a minimum of Rp 84.5 billion, while Anas received Rp 2.01 billion from Adhi Karya.
Anas also allegedly colluded with officials of the House of Representatives' Commission X in extracting illicit sums from state projects involving the Education Ministry's directorate general of higher education, as well as collecting fees of between 7 and 22 percent of the total costs from other projects funded by ministries and state-owned enterprises.
In addition to graft, Anas has also been charged with laundering Rp 20.8 billion through the purchase of a plot of land in Duren Sawit, East Jakarta, two plots of land in Mantrijeron, Yogyakarta, and another two plots in Panggungharjo village, Bantul district, Yogyakarta. Anas' Duren Sawit residence, which was sealed by the KPK earlier this year, was bought under his own name, while the other plots were bought under the names of various in-laws.
Anas has also been charged with attempting to bribe his way to getting a commercial mining permit (IUP) for PT Arina Kota Jaya, a dummy company that he allegedly planned to use to conceal the source of his illicit funds. He allegedly spent at least Rp 3 billion and colluded with officials of the East Kutai regional government to speed up the administration process.
In response to the indictment, Anas dismissed the charges as preposterous. 'I have listened closely to the prosecution and understood every word [in the indictment], but I just can't fathom the context. The opening statement was totally farfetched and highly speculative, so I have no idea how it connects substantially,' said Anas in court on Friday, referring to his alleged presidential ambitions.
He also questioned the bribery charges by Nazaruddin, describing them as nonsensical. 'Why would I take a bribe from him [Nazaruddin]? If I was part of the Permai Group, that means he would've been bribing me with my own money,' Anas said in a post-trial press conference.
Anas also demanded that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his son Edhie 'Ibas' Baskoro Yudhoyono be summoned as witnesses at the trial. Both Yudhoyono and Ibas have twice declined to make witness statements on Anas' behalf to the KPK.
'They are material witnesses,' said Anas, referring to the two senior members of the Democratic Party. There was no mention of the two names in the indictment.
Anas asked for an adjournment of the trial until next week so he could prepare a defense statement with his team of lawyers. Friday's hearing was the first since Anas was detained on January 10 after the KPK named him a suspect in the graft case surrounding the construction of the Hambalang sports complex.
In a court hearing on May 14, in a separate but related case, graft convict Muhammad Nazaruddin said that Anas had attempted to misuse his authority as head of the ruling party faction at the House to rig projects funded by the state budget in order to finance his bid for the Democratic Party chairmanship in 2010 and to fund his long-term plans to run for president, all of which Anas has denied. (tjs)
