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asDem Party chairman and media magnate Surya Paloh skipped a hearing on Monday of the trial of former party secretary-general Patrice Rio Capella, who is accused of accepting bribes from suspended North Sumatra governor Gatot Pujo Nugroho.

Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) prosecutors, who had requested the politician'€™s attendance at the trial to address allegations that he also accepted bribes, said Surya had failed to explain his no-show on Monday.

Due to the absence of the owner of the Media Group, which runs MetroTV and the Media Indonesia daily, the panel of judges at the court only examined three witnesses, namely Gatot, Ramdan Taufik Sodikin, Gatot'€™s wife Evi Susanti'€™s driver, and Clara Widi Wiken, the sister of Rio'€™s friend Francisca Insani Rahesti. Francisca was the person who is alleged to have delivered the money from Evi to Rio.

Gatot, a Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) politician, is alleged to have arranged multiple bribery payments, including to Rio, to evade an investigation into misuse of social aid funding in the North Sumatra administration.

In his testimony on Monday, Gatot acknowledged that he had paid money to Rio but he claimed that it was for mediating a truce between him and his deputy, and NasDem Party politician, Tengku Erry Nuradi.

Gatot said the money for Rio was for his services in facilitating a meeting to discuss the matter at NasDem headquarters in Jakarta, which was also attended by Gatot'€™s lawyer Otto Cornelis Kaligis and Surya.

During Monday'€™s hearing presiding judge Artha Theresia asked Gatot why he only paid Rio and not other attendees at the meeting with Surya. '€œWhy did you ask many people to connect you with Surya Paloh, is it difficult to meet him?'€ she asked.

Gatot replied: '€œWe consider him as a respected big brother.'€

'€œBecause you said that there were many people who connected you to Surya Paloh including Rio [and Kaligis], Why didn'€™t you also give it [money] to others?'€ Theresia said.

Gatot said he did not pay Kaligis because he acted as his private lawyer, adding that a friend of Surya named Yusfah also helped him to meet with Surya, but he did not give any money to Yusfah. Gatot also denied giving any bribe to Surya.

KPK prosecutors in their indictment against Rio accuse him of accepting Rp 200 million (US$ 14,667) in bribes from Gatot to bridge communication with the Attorney General'€™s Office (AGO), which was investigating the social aid fund case.

During Monday'€™s hearing, Gatot confirmed he had given Rp 200 million to Rio through Francisca but he rejected KPK allegations that the money given to Rio was related to the handling of the case in the AGO.

'€œFrancisca labeled the money '€˜coffee money'€™. She said the request had been made by Rio himself,'€ Gatot said, adding that he understood well that the phrase '€˜coffee money'€™ meant money for Rio'€™s services in mediating the Nasdem meeting.

Gatot'€™s statement contradicted Evi'€™s testimony at Rio'€™s trial last week. Evi said the money to Rio was meant to pay him for trying to open communications with the AGO.

'€œPak Rio told me that, I will try to talk with the Attorney General, slowly but sure,'€ Evi added.

Meanwhile, Ramdan confirmed that he had delivered the money to Francisca and Clara told the panel of judges that Rio forced Francisca to tell KPK investigators that he had yet to receive the money from Francisca in order to avoid being implicated in the case.