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17 arrested in PAL graft case, KPK says
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All ready: Naval officers prepare for the dispatch of the strategic sealift vessel (SSV), a warship ordered by the Philippine navy, in a ceremony attended by Vice President Jusuf Kalla in Ujung, Surabaya, on May 8, 2016. (JP/Wahyoe Boediwardhana)
T
he Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) said it arrested 17 people during stings conducted in Jakarta and Surabaya, East Java, on Thursday.
“A team from Surabaya and several people arrested during an operation on Thursday arrived this morning. The investigation will be continued at the KPK building, including with those arrested in Jakarta,” KPK spokesperson Febri Diansyah said as quoted by kompas.com on Friday.
He said the 17 people arrested comprised high-ranking officials and employees of a state-owned company and private parties.
It is suspected the arrests are related to a bribery case surrounding a procurement project at state shipbuilder PT PAL Indonesia, which is headquartered in Surabaya.
(Read also: KPK takes PAL officials in for questioning)
As reported earlier, KPK investigators have taken PAL Indonesia president director Firmansyah Arifin in for questioning. Firmansyah was reportedly picked up from the company’s headquarters in Surabaya, East Java, at around 11 p.m. local time on Thursday, accompanied by PAL Indonesia corporate secretary Elly Dwiratmanto.
It is highly suspected the KPK’s move to take Firmansyah and Elly in for questioning is connected to a recent operation in which antigraft personnel arrested PAL officials on allegations of bribery in relation to the sale of warships produced by the company for the Philippines.
The KPK is scheduled to give a press conference on the arrests on Friday afternoon. “The status of those arrested in the operation will be determined within 24 hours from the arrests,” said Febri. (hol/ebf)
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Wahyoe Boediwardhana contributed to this story from Surabaya, East Java.
