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Let KPK do its job, Jokowi says
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An official at the Home Ministry demonstrates how a device reads a chip inside an e-Identity Card (e-ID). (kompas.com/Hendra A Setyawan)
P
resident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has called on the people to uphold the presumption of innocence principle and let the nation’s antigraft body do its job in investigating the alleged involvement of senior politicians in the high-profile electronic identity card (e-ID) graft case.
In his first statement regarding the case, which has implicated one of his Cabinet ministers and a key ally in the ruling coalition, the President said, as quoted by kompas.com, “I am convinced that the KPK will be professional in handling this case.”
The Jakarta Corruption Court, where the first two suspects in the case, Irman and Sugiharto, are being tried, heard on Thursday that dozens of lawmakers were involved in a plot to embezzle funds from the project’s procurement budget, deliberated at the House in 2011 and 2012.
(Read also: National scene: Ministry to finish e-ID project this year)
Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly, who was then a PDI-P lawmaker, also allegedly received US$84,000. House of Representatives speaker Setya Novanto, who now leads the second largest pro-government party, Golkar, reportedly played a key role in convincing the House members to approve the budget allocation for the project.
Both Yasonna and Setya have denied their involvement in the e-ID case, which reportedly caused Rp 2.3 trillion (US$172 billion) in state losses. (ary)
