One of the three former and active lawmakers presented as witnesses at the e-ID card court hearing at the Jakarta Corruption Court on Thursday burst into tears after the panel of judges grilled her about her alleged role in the case, which allegedly caused Rp 2.3 trillion (US$172.6 million) in state losses.

The three politicians, namely lawmakers Miryam S. Haryani of the Hanura Party, Teguh Juwarno of the National Mandate Party (PAN), and former lawmaker Taufiq Effendi of the Democratic Party, claimed they had not been involved in the corrupt practices even though the indictment suggested they played roles in the case, which shocked the public given the amount of alleged state losses.

They were former members of House of Representatives Commission II overseeing home affairs between 2009-2014 and presented by Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) prosecutors to testify in the case against the two defendants, former high-ranking Home Ministry officials Irman and Sugiharto.

Teguh and Taufiq were first to testify in Thursday’s hearing.

According to the indictment, Irman met with several lawmakers, including Teguh, in May 2010 in the Commission II meeting room to discuss the e-ID card project, which was eventually declared a strategic program funded by the state budget.

Teguh claimed he did not attend in the meeting. “I confirm [the information in the indictment] is wrong. The meeting took place on May 5, 2010 and at the time I was sick,” said Teguh.

The indictment also claims Teguh accepted $100,000 and Taufiq $50,000 in the office of Mustoko Weni, then a fellow Commission II member, in September or October 2010.

“The disbursement of money in Mustoko Weni’s room is a lie, because Mustoko passed away on June 18, 2010,” said Teguh.

Similarly, Taufiq said, “I never received any money and never heard of any distribution of money [in relation to the case].”

Both Teguh and Taufiq also denied knowing Andi Agustinus, aka Andi Narogong, the alleged mastermind of the suspected graft, according to the indictment. Taufiq added that he only learned of Andi’s existence when he was questioned by KPK investigators.

The hearing took a dramatic turn when Miryam denied all of her account recorded in the investigation dossier.

“I want to withdraw all of [my statement in the investigation dossier],” said Miryam, who then burst into tears.

“I was really stressed during the questioning [by KPK investigators],” she said.

She denied she had paid bribes to then Commission II members to ensure approval of the Rp 5.9 trillion project, as stated in the indictment.

The prosecutors presented a total of six witnesses in Thursday’s hearing, including the former director general of population administration at the Home Ministry, Rasyid Saleh, and the head of planning at the ministry’s directorate general of population and civil administration, Wisnu Wibowo, and staff member Suparmanto.

Dian Hasanah, a retired staff member at the directorate general, was unable to attend the hearing due to illness, according to the prosecutors.

The e-ID case, which is the biggest corruption case the KPK has ever investigated, has dragged in members of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), including Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly, Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo and North Sulawesi Governor Olly Dondokambey.

The indictment also mentions the involvement of House Speaker Setya Novanto of the Golkar Party. All four have denied they accepted bribes in the case. (mrc)

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