he Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) said on Friday that it arrested Andi Agustinus alias Andi Narogong, a suspect in the e-ID graft case, after it found evidence that he attempted to impede its investigation into the case.
After naming him a suspect on Thursday, KPK investigators quickly moved to arrest Andi in South Jakarta as he was allegedly trying to destroy crucial evidence in relation to his alleged involvement in the case.
“Yes, it is one of the reasons of his arrest,” KPK commissioner Basari Pandjaitan told The Jakarta Post.
It remains unclear whether Andi attempted to obstruct the KPK’s investigation by his own initiative or based on instructions from other people implicated in the case. Basaria refused to comment on such a possibility.
(Read also: Andi arrest may drag Setya into e-ID case)
Andi, believed to be a close friend of House of Representatives Speaker and Golkar Party chairman Setya Novanto, was undergoing intensive questioning at the KPK headquarters as of 10 a.m. on Friday.
The KPK will decide whether it will detain him. If it is found that he tried to impede the investigation, the KPK will move to additionally charge him under Article 21 of the 1999 Corruption Law for obstructing a KPK investigation.
Based on the KPK’s indictment, Setya allegedly helped Andi secure the House’s approval to disburse Rp 5.9 trillion (US$440 million) from the state budget for the project between 2010 and 2013. Of the total Rp 5.9 trillion, some Rp 2.3 trillion was reportedly embezzled and distributed to several parties. (ebf)
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