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orruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigators on Thursday questioned former Riau legislative Council (DPRD) speaker Djohar Firdaus and former councilor A. Kirjauhari, who served from 2009 to 2014, at the State Police Academy (SPN) in Pekanbaru, Riau, on suspicion of bribery intended to accelerate the approval of the Riau provincial budget in 2015.

The case also implicated suspended Riau governor Annas Maamun.

Djohar claimed investigators quizzed him on the 2015 Riau provincial budget deliberations in connection with his capacity as Riau DPRD speaker.

'€œInvestigators asked the context of my duties as DPRD speaker and as head of the budgetary board,'€ Djohar told journalists.

He said the investigators also asked him whether he had been called by and met with Annas and Riau Vice Governor Arsyadjuliandi Rachman, when the 2015 provincial budget proposal was being deliberated at the legislature in December 2014.

'€œObviously I met him once. They asked me why I met Pak Annas. I told them I was explaining about the development of the 2015 budget deliberations in line with my field and responsibilities at the time,'€ said Djohar.

Djohar claimed he was totally unaware of the Rp 3 billion (US$231,000) in bribes aimed at speeding up the 2015 Riau budget approval. '€œThey did not yet ask me about the matter,'€ said Djohar.

He denied the Riau provincial budget had been quickly approved because of the promise of a reward from the Riau governor.