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Tycoon detained for alleged bribery
The antigraft body has detained tycoon Darianus Lungguk Sitorus, after naming him a suspect in a possible graft case involving a Jakarta State Administrative High Court judge recently caught accepting bribes
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he antigraft body has detained tycoon Darianus Lungguk Sitorus, after naming him a suspect in a possible graft case involving a Jakarta State Administrative High Court judge recently caught accepting bribes.
Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) spokesman Johan Budi, confirmed Tuesday that Darianus was taken to the National Police detention center in South Jakarta after he was questioned for more than seven hours.
Darianus was released from jail just four months ago after serving several years in jail for his involvement in an illegal logging case.
Johan said Darianus was charged with corruption and faced a maximum 15 year jail sentence if proven guilty.
“The KPK suspects that [Darianus], together with Abner Sirait, attempted to bribe the judge [Ibrahim]. He will be detained for 20 days,” he said.
Abner Sirait is a lawyer for PT Sabar Ganda, a company owned by Darianus’ son. In early April, the KPK caught Ibrahim pocketing Rp 300 million from Abner at a crowded Cempaka Putih Barat area in Central Jakarta. The two were then arrested.
Darianus’ lawyer, Afrian Bondjol, said the KPK’s move to declare his client a suspect was unexpected.
“The KPK does not have enough evidence to name my client a suspect. In the dossier, it was never mentioned that he knew of the bribery plan,” he added.
Darianus, he added, had appointed Abner to handle the case.
The bribery was linked to a lawsuit over a land dispute currently handled by the Jakarta State Administrative High Court.
Johan has previously said the case involved a number of land blocks with multiple certificates, one owned by the Jakarta Administration, the other by a private company. The alleged company is Sabar Ganda.
“The lawyer bribed Ibrahim and asked him to declare the certificates owned by the Jakarta administration were illegal,” Johan said.
Ibrahim served as the presiding judge on the case with member judges Arifin Marpaung and Santer Sitorus.
Court documents, a copy of which were obtained by The Jakarta Post, reveal the case involves two blocks of land in Cengkareng, West Jakarta, at a size of 2,520 and 5,034 square meters respectively.
The Jakarta administration possessed certificates for both blocks, issued in 2004.
The dispute, taken to the Jakarta State Administrative Court in June last year, was won by Sabar Ganda in November. The court ordered the Jakarta Administration pay the trial fee worth Rp 2.92 million.
The administration then filed an appeal on Feb. 18 at the Jakarta State Administrative High Court this year.
KPK deputy chairman Bibit Samad Riyanto, said the case “confirmed the existence of corrupt practices in the judicial institution and police”.
The KPK has detained Abner but has delayed detaining Ibrahim due to medical difficulties.
