T

he House of Representatives' apparent animosity toward the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is intensifying as more and more lawmakers become embroiled in corruption scandals.

During a hearing with House Commission III overseeing legal affairs on the revision to the 2013 state budget on Wednesday, the anti-graft agency was reminded that the House held control of its budget.

Several commission members said that they were reluctant to discuss the budget for the KPK for fear that they could be victimized by the agency.

'We need to make sure that you are on track before finally approving your budget proposal. Thus, an audit of the KPK's performance is a must because it is not a prophet-like body that can do no wrong and is beyond the law,' lawmaker Desmond Junaidi Mahesa of the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party told KPK deputy chairman Zulkarnain.

Desmond is among a number of lawmakers who have been implicated in the driving-simulator scandal at the National Police Traffic Corps (Korlantas), which has reportedly caused US$19.81 million in state losses.

In his testimony at the Corruption Court in Jakarta on Tuesday, former deputy chief of Korlantas, Adj. Comr. Teddy Rusmawan, who was in charge of the simulator project in 2011, said that graft defendant Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo ordered him to deliver four boxes containing unknown amounts of cash to several lawmakers.

He said the lawmakers included former House Budget Committee member and graft convict Muhammad Nazaruddin and several members of the House's legal affairs commission: Desmond, Aziz Syamsuddin and Bambang Soesatyo of the Golkar Party, and Herman Herri of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

All the accused, except Nazaruddin, have denied the allegations. But the KPK said it would follow up on Teddy's testimony.

Also on Wednesday, the House's committee overseeing the Bank Century probe slammed the KPK for once again ignoring its invitation to discuss the latest developments in its investigation into the multi-billion dollar bailout scandal.

The committee threatened to ask the National Police to forcibly bring KPK leaders to the House.

'We have the constitutional power to force them to attend meetings with us; and we are about to make use of this power as the KPK has ignored our invitations twice,' said committee member Fahry Hamzah of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), whose top leaders are now being investigated by the KPK for their roles in the beef-import graft case.

Zulkarnain told lawmakers that the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) had audited the KPK and given an unqualified (i.e. wholly satisfactory) opinion on the antigraft body's performance and financial report.

The KPK, he explained, was open to discussion with any parties, including the House, as long as it was not asked to reveal details of ongoing graft investigations. He argued that the KPK leaders had to skip the Century meeting because the lawmakers were demanding that they disclose confidential information regarding the case.

'We cannot disclose the substance of any ongoing investigation as that would disrupt the process. We will be happy to respond to future invitations from the House as long as they don't concern our investigations,' he said.

The KPK recently questioned former finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati in the United States about the bailout scandal during which KPK chairman Abraham Samad said the former minister provided new information on the case.

Tensions between KPK and the House

'¢ Jan. 31, 2011
The KPK cancels its scheduled hearing with the House's law commission after several lawmakers object to the presence of two KPK deputies, Bibit Samad Riyanto and Chandra M. Hamzah. Lawmakers allege KPK deputies are implicated in a bribery and extortion case.

'¢ Sept. 29, 2011
KPK refuse to attend a consultation meeting arranged by House leaders, because the meeting is also expected to involve leaders of the House's Budget Committee, who are allegedly involved in a graft case.

'¢ Oct. 3, 2011
Lawmakers lash out at the antigraft body during a consultative meeting to probe its decision to question House Budget Committee leaders for alleged graft within the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry.

'¢ June 20, 2012
During a hearing at the DPR, KPK deputy chief Bambang Widjojanto asks House to fulfill promise to approve the budget as gesture of support for the KPK. Earlier in the day, Commission III lawmakers flexed their muscles over the antigraft body when they refused to hold talks with it because of the absence of KPK deputies, even though all KPK commissioners were present.

'¢ Oct. 2, 2012
Caving in to public pressure, political factions at the House of Representatives drop their plan to amend the 2002 Law on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), which many regard as a move to weaken the country's antigraft body.