The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) named on Monday Andi Zulkarnaen Mallarangeng, aka Choel Mallarangeng, a graft suspect.

The younger brother of former youth and sports minister and convict Andi Alfian Mallarangeng is suspected of committing graft in a sports center development, procurement and improvement project in Hambalang, West Java, between 2010 and 2012.

'€œDuring further investigation of alleged corruption in the Hambalang construction project, investigators found two pieces of evidence, which are adequate to name AZM, a private party, a suspect,'€ KPK spokesperson Yuyuk Andriati said as quoted by kompas.com at the antigraft body headquarters in Jakarta on Monday, referring to the suspect by his initials.

Choel is accused of misusing his authority, enriching himself and others and of corporate enrichment in the Hambalang case.

Yuyuk said, however, that the KPK had not determined state losses caused in the case. '€œI have not yet received information about state losses related to AZM's case,'€ said Yuyuk.

The KPK leaders signed a sprindik (letter ordering the start of an investigation) on Choel on Dec.16. Prosecutors intend to charge Choel with violating Article 2 (1) or Article 3 of Law No.31/1999 in reference to Law No.21/2001 on corruption eradication and Article 55 (1) of the Criminal Code.

When he visited his brother, Andi Alfian Mallarangeng, at the KPK detention center in May last year, Choel, the FOX Indonesia CEO, claimed he was ready to replace his brother in serving his prison sentence. The former minister was found guilty of bribery in the Hambalang case.

'€œWhen you are his younger brother, you must be ready to replace him,'€ Choel told journalists during the visit at the KPK headquarters in Jakarta on May 20, 2014.

In his testimony during Andi'€™s a court hearing on May 19, 2014, Choel admitted that he had accepted US$550,000 from Deddy Kusdinar, the chief of the financial and internal affairs bureau of the Youth and Sports Ministry, who was also found guilty in the Hambalang case.

During the trial, Choel also admitted that he had accepted Rp 2 billion from Herman Prananto, an executive of PT Global Daya Manunggal, one of the companies subcontracted by state-owned construction firm PT Adhi Karya for the Hambalang project.

Choel later claimed, however, that he had handed over all the money he received to the KPK. Choel also expressed remorse for his actions. He said it was his fault that his brother had become a defendant in the Hambalang case. (ebf)

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