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orruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigators questioned on Wednesday Patrice Rio Capella, secretary-general of the pro-government NasDem Party, in a bribery case alleging the involvement of judges in Medan, North Sumatra.

Rio was grilled for four hours to confirm his role in the case that has seen the governor of North Sumatra, Gatot Pujo Nugroho, and prominent lawyer Otto Cornelis Kaligis named suspects.

Rio did not answer questions from the press at KPK headquarters after his questioning. He is the first NasDem executive to be questioned as a witness in the case.

Speculation is rife that Gatot, a Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) politician, and his wife Evi Susanty had spent Rp 1.5 billion '€œto reconcile'€ Gatot with his deputy governor and NasDem politician Tengku Erry Nuradi at the party headquarters under the mediation of Kaligis, the party'€™s dispute tribunal committee chief.

Gatot'€™s former lawyer, Razman Arif Nasution, revealed the governor and deputy governor conflict, which emerged after the North Sumatra Prosecutor'€™s Office launched an investigation into the alleged misuse of social aid funds, which could topple Gatot from his post.

In a move to settle the dispute, Gatot appointed Kaligis, who suggested that the governor file a petition to challenge the investigation with the Medan State Administrative Court (PTUN Medan), which later approved the request to cancel the investigation into Gatot'€™s office.

In a sting in Medan, the KPK arrested three PTUN Medan judges as they were allegedly about to accept money from Kaligis'€™ law firm after a favorable verdict was handed down for Gatot.

The antigraft body also later arrested Gatot, Evi and Kaligis in the case.

Aside from questioning Rio, the KPK has also questioned North Sumatra councilors in Medan on suspicion that Gatot had also bribed them to stop an inquiry into the social aid fund irregularities.

Depputy KPK chairman Indriyanto Seno Adji refused to comment on the Rp 1.5 billion in question.

However earlier, Indriyanto confirmed the investigation into the canceled inquiry.

'€œWe are still digging for more information by questioning Gatot. We are going through the information we have so far and have yet to make a decision on the case [regarding Gatot'€™s status],'€ Indriyanto said on Thursday.

Meanwhile, KPK spokesperson Yuyuk Andriati said on Wednesday that she had yet to be briefed by KPK investigators on Rio'€™s questioning. '€œWith regard to Rio, I have yet to receive any update.'€

Yuyuk further said that Rio remained a witness in the case at the time of his questioning.