R

ecent courtroom revelations that a graft suspect, the former energy and minerals minister Jero Wacik, allegedly spent money embezzled from the ministry to regularly pay for golfing with then president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono could lead to the former president being charged with money laundering.

Money laundering expert Yenti Garnasih of Trisakti University said on Wednesday that any transfer of graft money in any form to other parties was legally considered as money laundering and the parties who benefitted from it should be charged with money laundering offenses.

She added as the revelation of the golf money was revealed by a witness under oath during the trial of former energy ministry secretary-general Waryono Karno, who has been accused of stealing around Rp 11 billion (US$83,000) for Jero, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has strong grounds to move against Yudhoyono.

'€œIf someone accepts money from the proceeds of crime, it means he or she commits money laundering, not just corruption. [The KPK] could further investigate the flow of money from [Jero] to other parties,'€ she said.

Yenti also said that as neither of the two suspects, Waryono or Jero, had been slapped with money laundering charges, then the KPK should open a new probe to net all the recipients of alleged dirty money from the energy ministry.

Monday'€™s session of Waryono'€™s trial looked further into the so-called '€œregular entertainment'€ funds '€” ranging from Rp 30 million to Rp 200 million that was set aside from the Rp 11 billion collected from the ministry in 2010 and 2011 '€” by grilling Sri Utami, an energy ministry official allegedly tasked by Waryono to distribute the money to a number of parties.

Sri gave incriminating testimony against Yudhoyono after presiding judge Artha Theresia confronted her with a KPK document containing her statements.

'€œThe entertainment money was used to pay for golfing games together with [Jero and] SBY every Thursday morning at 5 a.m. at the Halim Golf course and the money was delivered by Dwi Hartono [another official from the ministry] to the adjutant of the minister [Jero] at the golf course, is that correct?'€ Artha asked Sri.

'€œYes, it is correct,'€ Sri responded.

Yenti said he suspected the KPK gave special treatment to the energy ministry graft case because in other cases the KPK charged suspects with money laundering if they found that they had funneled their ill-gotten gains.

'€œThis creates a sense of inconsistency because we also see that [a member of the] House of Representatives'€™ budget committee, Wa Ode Nurhayati, was also charged with money laundering afterwards. There is something wrong with the KPK in Jero'€™s case,'€ Yenti added.

Acting KPK deputy chairman Indriyanto Seno Adji said that the antigraft body has yet to look into the possibility of summoning Yudhoyono following the court revelation, adding that such a decision cannot be made before the court convicts Waryono in the case, if it does.

'€œThe court will decide whether the act of paying for golf [with Yudhoyono] is categorized as a crime. Let'€™s see what the panel of judges will say on the verdict,'€ he said.

Yudhoyono'€™s lawyer, Palmer Sitomorang said that '€œthe two friends'€ played golf together, but they each paid their own golf bills. '€œIt is a cheap rumor as the testimony was made between the witnesses with other people, not with Pak SBY. We strongly reject the allegations.'€