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onstitutional Court chief justice Mahfud MD on Sunday fired back at critics from the Democratic Party who accused him of pulling a publicity stunt by claiming the party’s treasurer offered a court official gratuities.

Mahfud said there was no political motive behind his decision to inform President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono that Democratic Party treasurer Muhammad Nazaruddin had tried to give S$120,000 (US$97,000) to a court official.

Speaking on a live television broadcast, Mahfud said all public statements made by Democratic Party politicians against him were intended to discredit him.

Yudhoyono and Mahfud held an impromptu press conference at
the State Palace on the new revelation on Friday. The allegation is another blow for Nazaruddin, who is already implicated in a series of crimes ranging from corruption to sexual abuse.

Several Democratic Party politicians blasted Mahfud over his allegations. “Why is he reporting it only now? Is he trying to make himself look good before the President? Mahfud, this is not the platform to start your bid to be president [in the 2014 elections],” party veteran Ruhut Sitompul said.

Mahfud claimed he had first reported the incident to Yudhoyono in November last year. He said Yudhoyono telephoned him a few days after the high-profile SEA Games graft scandal implicating Nazaruddin broke.

“[Yudhoyono] told me to take action [against Nazaruddin] and that we had to explain this to the public and reveal everything,” Mahfud said.

“[Yudhoyono] can explain why he wanted to make this matter public just a few days ago.

“[Ruhut] is a senior member of the Democratic Party but he never speaks to the President in person
as I do. The President, if he is watching right now, must confirm what
I just said,” Mahfud said on the
live show.

Ruhut said Nazaruddin did not know Constitutional Court secretary-general Janedjri M Gaffar personally, let alone attempt to offer him money. Speaking to news portal tribunnews.com on Sunday, Nazaruddin called Mahfud “a liar”.

“His claims are slanderous. I may take legal action [against him],” he said.

Mahfud countered by saying he was convinced Nazaruddin knew Janedjri personally and that Democratic Party chairman Anas Urbaningrum could verify his claim.

“I hope my brother Anas will go on record to say that he, Nazaruddin and Janedjri did meet. [Nazaruddin] was the one who dragged Janedjri to meet Anas, how could [Nazaruddin] say he doesn’t know [Janedjri]?” Mahfud said.

Anas, however, said he was disappointed with Mahfud’s claims. “I don’t like being dragged into this case,” he told The Jakarta Post.

He admitted he did have dinner with Janedjri and Nazaruddin but that there were several other people there as well.

“This was in 2008 and we were discussing a seminar jointly organized by the Constitutional Court and Democratic Party’s central executive board,” Anas said.

In his report in November 2010, Mahfud also informed Yudhoyono about another Democratic politician who allegedly committed a crime against court officials.

“I filed a police report but the police have never investigated the case,” he said, but did not go into any further details.

Despite facing mounting calls for the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to investigate Nazaruddin, KPK spokesman Johan Budi said Sunday there were no plans to question the lawmaker.

He said the commission had not looked into Mahfud’s allegations againt Nazaruddin.