T

he Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is looking into the possibility of launching a fresh probe into President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono'€™s youngest son Edhie '€œIbas'€ Baskoro Yudhoyono after new evidence emerged that he might have been involved in the Hambalang sport complex graft case.

Ibas'€™ name was once again dragged further into the Hambalang graft case, which has already implicated Yudhoyono'€™s former Democratic Party chairman, Anas Urbaningrum, after graft convict and former Democratic Party treasurer Muhammad Nazaruddin revealed in court new information regarding the possibility that Ibas had received a sum of Hambalang'€™s dirty money.

KPK spokesman Johan Budi said the fact that Ibas was the President'€™s son would not grant him any immunity, adding that as long as the antigraft body could find at least two pieces of strong evidence it would soon launch an investigation into Ibas.

'€œNo one will get special treatment,'€ Johan said on Sunday, adding that a court statement could be used as a basis for the KPK to launch its probe into the graft case.

Anas stands accused of collaborating with Nazaruddin to collect hundreds of billions of rupiah from granting state projects, including the Hambalang project, to PT Permai Group, a company allegedly established by the two disgraced politicians to harbor slush funds.

Nazaruddin became notorious for his penchant for showering billions of rupiah on House of Representatives lawmakers and ministry officials to secure his moves.

Johan did not give details as to when the KPK would open a new investigation into Ibas, who currently serves as Democratic Party secretary-general.

The panel of judges at the Jakarta Corruption Court are expected to deliver their verdict on Anas in September. It usually takes the KPK several weeks to examine court evidence before launching a new investigation to follow up on a verdict.

Meaning that, once KPK investigators confirmed Nazaruddin'€™s testimony then the antigraft body could launch a fresh investigation into Ibas around October, soon after Yudhoyono steps down from power.

In his court appearance on Friday, Nazaruddin revealed that Ibas had received dirty money collected from rigging the Hambalang project.

'€œWhat Yulianis said was true, Mas Ibas received US$200,000. The money was handed to Ibas at his office in the House compound,'€ Nazaruddin said, referring to his confidant Yulianis, who is former deputy finance director of Permai Group.

In her previous testimony, Yulianis also said that Nazaruddin had showered current House Speaker and Democratic Party politician Marzuki Alie with $1 million, an allegation that Marzuki has denied.

The Rp 2.5 trillion ($214 million)Hambalang project graft case has also implicated former Democratic Party politician and youth and sports minister Andi Mallarangeng, who was also known as Yudhoyono'€™s golden boy.

It is alleged that hundreds of billions of rupiah from the Hambalang project, possibly also from other state projects as well, had been amassed by Nazaruddin to finance the Democratic Party congress in 2010 in Bandung, during which Anas was elected chairman after beating Andi and Marzuki in a tight race.

Ibas was the head of the steering committee of the 2010 congress and was part of Andi'€™s campaign team. Anas'€™ trial also revealed that Nazaruddin had provided financial backing to Marzuki and Andi, who has been sentenced to four years'€™ imprisonment in the Hambalang case.

Anas repeatedly asked the KPK to summons Yudhoyono and Ibas in its investigation into the flow of Hambalang money to the Dems'€™ congress, but to no avail.

Yudhoyono'€™s family lawyer Palmer Situmorang said there was no urgency for the KPK to summon Ibas.

'€œThe accusation is an old song being played on repeat. I would like to emphasize that Mas Ibas and Pak SBY have nothing to do with the case [implicating Anas and Nazaruddin],'€ Palmer told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.