T

he Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) said on Tuesday that it would summon People'€™s Consultative Assembly (MPR) speaker Zulkifli Hasan to clarify a statement made by graft suspect Riau Governor Annas Maamun with regard to suspected graft in the issuance of land-conversion permits in Riau.

Zulkifli allegedly issued such permits during his tenure as the forestry minister.

Annas, who was reportedly caught red-handed accepting billions of rupiah in bribes from a palm oil businessman prior to issuing a recommendation for a permit, pointed the finger at Zulkifli on Friday by revealing that he, Annas, had delivered the recommendation for the permits to the National Mandate Party (PAN) politician at the forestry ministry.

'€œThe recommendation went to [then] minister, Zulkifli,'€ Annas said at the KPK headquarters on Friday.

KPK deputy chairman Zulkarnain said the KPK was currently examining Annas'€™ claim and if it was confirmed then the antigraft body would bring the MPR speaker to the KPK headquarters for questioning.

'€œEveryone who has a connection to the case will be questioned to make the case crystal clear,'€ Zulkarnain told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

He added that the antigraft body was still collecting more statements and evidence to uncover the roles of other individuals in the case.

Zulkarnain said that it was not easy for the KPK to investigate individuals at the ministry because the issuance of land permits was subject to administrative regulations, not the criminal law.

'€œBut if we can prove that the issuance of the permits at the ministry was related to criminal activities such as bribery, then we could go after others [at the ministry] in the case,'€ Zulkarnain said.

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.

Annas, 74, allegedly accepted bribes of S$156,000 and Rp 500 million in order to help palm oil businessman Gulat Manurung to get a permit from the Forestry Ministry.

In order to obtain a permit from the ministry a prior recommendation from the governor is required.

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.

Last Thursday, the antigraft body grilled two senior officials from the Forestry Ministry: the director of environmental services and utilization of conservation areas and protected forests, Bambang Supriyanto, and the director of forest planning areas, Masyhud.

This is not the first time Zulkifli has been dragged into a graft investigation handled by the KPK.

Shortly after arresting Bogor regent Rachmat Yasin in June for allegedly accepting bribes from an official of PT Bukit Jonggol Asri (BJA), which is 65 percent owned by giant developer PT Sentul City, with regard to a land-conversion permit in Bogor, the KPK questioned Zulkifli to seek clarification.

Following Zulkifli'€™s questioning, KPK deputy chairman Bambang Widjojanto explained that the antigraft body sought to clarify his role in the issuance of the permit.

'€œThe probe was to clarify the permit recommendation,'€ Bambang said.

Meanwhile, Zulkifli denied that his office had issued a permit to BJA.

'€œThe truth is the company has recently submitted its proposal to the ministry, but we haven'€™t issued any recommendation yet,'€ he said.

The Forestry Ministry had been led by Zulkifli for five years before he resigned last month to become a lawmaker in the House of Representatives.

He was elected MPR speaker following a recommendation from then-president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.