The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) detained prominent advocate OC Kaligis on Tuesday evening, just hours after naming him a suspect in a bribery case involving judges in Medan, North Sumatra.

KPK investigators claimed they had found strong evidence that suggested Kaligis was the man behind the scheme to bribe three Medan State Administrative Court (PTUN) judges last week.

Kaligis, who is known for his often harsh statements against the KPK when he acted as the defense lawyer for several of the antigraft body'€™s suspects, is also a member of the NasDem Party executive board, a party in the government coalition.

The arrest came just days after KPK investigators apprehended the three judges, PTUN Medan head Tripeni Irianto Putra, and Amir Fauzi and Dermawan Ginting, during a sting operation on Thursday in Medan for allegedly accepting US$20,000 in bribes from Kaligis'€™ aide Yagari '€œGerry'€ Bhastara Guntur.

KPK commissioner Johan Budi said KPK investigators had picked up Kaligis in a hotel in Jakarta and brought him to the KPK headquarters for questioning. After a thorough examination KPK leaders decided to name Kaligis a suspect in the case.

'€œWe have found two strong items of evidence to name him a corruption suspect in the case,'€ Johan told a press briefing on Tuesday at the KPK headquarters.

The KPK charged Kaligis under Article 5 of Law No. 31/1999 on corruption, which relates to bribing state officials and which carries a maximum sentence of five years; Article 6, on bribing a judge, punishable by 15 years imprisonment; and Article 13, on bribing state officials in exchange for a favorable decision, which carries a maximum sentence of three years.

After hours of questioning, Kaligis, dressed in the KPK'€™s orange detainee jacket, was rushed by a KPK van to its detention center inside the military prison facility in Guntur, South Jakarta.

Kaligis is the sixth suspect to be named in the case after the KPK charged Tripeni, Amir, Dermawan, Gerry and a court clerk identified as Syamsir Yusfan, all of whom were arrested at the PTUN Medan during the sting operation.

 '€œIf we find at least two more items of evidence in the future we will name other suspects in the case,'€ Johan added.

 The bribery is alleged to relate to a PTUN Medan ruling that the North Sumatra Prosecutor'€™s Office had no authority to investigate North Sumatra administration finance bureau head Ahmad Fuad Lubis in the alleged misappropriation of regional assistance and social assistance funds of the North Sumatra provincial administration. It is alleged that the $20,000 bribe paid to Tripeni, Amir and Dermawan, determined the verdict they issued on Tuesday last week.

 On Monday, the KPK slapped a travel ban on North Sumatra Governor Gatot Pujo Nugroho, whose office was raided by the antigraft body on Sunday, raising speculation that the governor might follow in Kaligis'€™ footsteps in the case. Gatot skipped a questioning session as a witness in the case on Monday.

Meanwhile, NasDem Party secretary-general Patrice Rio Capella said the party was concerned regarding the arrest.

'€œWe are concerned about this matter. Our member has been implicated in a serious legal case and has been named a suspect by the KPK. In a day or two we will hold a meeting to discuss it,'€ Rio said as quoted by kompas.com on Tuesday.

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