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AGO seeks more evidence in BTS case
Communications and Information Minister Johnny G. Plate was grilled for over nine hours by the Attorney General's Office on Tuesday, as prosecutors continued raiding offices for evidence in an alleged bribery case involving a ministry agency.
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Communications and Information Minister Johnny G. Plate speaks at a meeting with the House of Representative in Jakarta on Oct. 16, 2021. (Courtesy of Kominfo/-)
T
he Attorney General’s Office (AGO) searched for more pieces of evidence while taking nine hours to grill Communications and Information Minister Johnny G. Plate on Tuesday over his potential role in an alleged bribery case involving the construction of base transceiver stations (BTS) for a state 4G telephony project under his supervision.
A team of investigators led by the office of the assistant attorney general for extraordinary crimes (Jampidsus) raided the offices of PT Solitech Media Sinergy and PT Paradita Infra Nusantara for evidence as part of its probe, one prosecutor said.
“We carried out a search for more supporting evidence,” Jampidsus director of investigation Kuntadi told reporters in Jakarta on Tuesday.
The investigation into the project was expected to continue, after a separate AGO team questioned minister Johnny as a witness that same day. He was among several people who were implicated in the case.
It was the second summons for the NasDem Party secretary-general, having failed to turn up at the first questioning on Feb. 9. Johnny claimed he was required to attend a National Press Day event in Medan, North Sumatra where President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo was delivering a speech.
Johnny, who arrived at AGO headquarters at 8:50 a.m. with his legal team in tow and was seen carrying a bundle of files in a blue binder, faced 51 questions over nine hours for his supervisory role in the BTS project and as expender of state funds, Kuntadi said.
Speaking to the press after the questioning, the minister said he had provided ample information and answered all the questions posed by investigators “with full responsibility,” stressing that he would respect the ongoing proceedings.
