T

he Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) questioned on Thursday two high-ranking officials from the Forestry Ministry as part of its investigation into alleged bribery surrounding the issuance of land-conversion permits in Riau.

The questioning of the forestry ministry'€™s director of environmental services and utilization of conservation areas and protected forests, Bambang Supriyanto, and director of forest planning areas, Masyud, came two weeks after the antigraft body arrested Riau Governor Annas Maamun.

Annas was held as he allegedly accepted bribes from palm-oil businessman Gulat Manurung, who was seeking to obtain permits for his oil- palm plantation business in Riau.

Their questioning raises concerns that officials from the ministry, which has the authority to issue permits for protected areas, might also be implicated in the bribery case.

KPK spokesman Priharsa Nugraha said the two were questioned as witnesses for Annas, who has been charged with accepting bribes in his capacity as a state official. '€œTheir questioning is important to complete AM'€™s dossiers,'€ Priharsa said, referring to Annas by his initials.

Gulat owns a 140-hectare oil palm plantation in Kuantan Singingi regency in Riau, which had been planted in an industrial forest area. He was seeking the governor'€™s help to convert the area into a non-forest area, or area for other use.

Gulat is alleged to have paid S$156,000 and Rp 500 million (US$40,745) to the 74-year-old governor for his assistance in getting the permit.

Land conversion is rampant in Riau, which saw 21,400 hectares of land converted to oil-palm plantations from 2011 to 2012, according to the Central Statistics Agency.

A recent report authored by researcher Belinda Margono from the University of Maryland found Indonesia'€™s rate of deforestation had surpassed Brazil, previously the country with the highest rate of deforestation.

The Forestry Ministry had been led by National Mandate Party (PAN) politician Zulkifli Hasan for five years before he resigned last month to become a lawmaker in the House of Representatives.

Zulkifli was later elected speaker of the People'€™s Consultative Assembly (MPR) following a recommendation from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Another KPK spokesman Johan Budi declined to confirm whether the antigraft body would also bring Zulkifli to the KPK headquarters in light of the questioning of his two former subordinates.

Johan said that if KPK investigators needed Zulkifli'€™s testimony then he would be summoned in the future. '€œWe will summon anyone whose testimony is important for the ongoing investigation,'€ Johan said on Thursday, without elaborating on the nature of the interrogation of the ministry officials.

Previously, the KPK arrested Karawang regent Ade Swara for receiving bribes from a businessman with regard to the issuance of a land permit in Karawang.

Suspended Bogor regent, Rahmat Yasin, was also caught by KPK investigators allegedly accepting Rp 1.5 billion from a property developer in exchange for his decision to turn nearly 3,000 hectares of protected forest in Bogor into a luxury housing project.

The KPK grilled Zulkifli as a witness with regard to Rahmat'€™s case. His status in the case remains that of a witness.