Imam Nahrawi (JP)

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has named Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi a suspect in a bribery case involving the National Sports Council (KONI).

The announcement comes at a fraught time for the antigraft agency, occurring only a day after the House of Representatives passed a law that is to severely limit the KPK's independence and effectiveness in fighting graft.

KPK commissioner Alexander Marwata announced the decision at a press conference at the KPK headquarters in South Jakarta on Wednesday evening.

"Based on our investigation, we have two suspects, IMR, the 2015 to 2019 youth and sports minister, and MIU, [Imam's] personal assistant," Alexander said.

Imam is the second minister in President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's Cabinet to be named in a graft case, following in the steps of former social affairs minister Idrus Marham, who was sentenced to five years in prison for his involvement in a bribery case related to a coal-fired power plant project in Riau.

One of Imam's predecessors in the ministry during the tenure of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Andi Alfian Mallarangeng, was also implicated in a high profile graft case in 2012, in relation to the construction of the Hambalang sports complex in Sentul, Bogor, West Java.

Andi was found guilty of accepting bribes and was sentenced to four years in prison and fined Rp 200 million (US$14,224).

Alexander alleged that Imam received Rp 14.7 billion in bribes through his personal assistant Miftahul Ulum between 2014 and 2018. Alexander added that the minister allegedly asked for an additional Rp 11.8 billion between 2016 and 2018, adding up to a total of Rp 26.5 billion.

This is a continuation of a case first uncovered in December 2018, in which KONI allegedly bribed several sports ministry officials with a total of Rp 3.4 billion to pass a state grant to the council.

"The KPK summoned [Imam] three times but he did not appear for questioning on July 31, Aug. 2 or Aug. 21," Alexander said. "The KPK feels that we have given enough opportunities for IMR to provide a statement and clarification during the investigation stage."

The KPK had previously named five suspects in the case: former KONI secretary-general Ending Fuad Hamidy, KONI treasurer Johnny E. Awuy and ministry officials Mulyana, Adhi Purnomo and Eko Triyanto.

In the KPK’s indictment against Ending, prosecutors implicated Ulum as the one who arranged the disbursement of a “commitment fee” from KONI to the ministry, which amounted to between 15 and 19 percent of a Rp 17.9 billion government grant.

KPK prosecutors accused Ending of giving kickbacks to the ministry’s undersecretary overseeing sports achievement, Mulyana, and his two subordinates in relation to the grant from the ministry to KONI. The antigraft body named him a suspect in the case on Dec. 19 after they were arrested during an operation in Jakarta the previous day.

Ending and Johnny have both been convicted of bribery, with Ending sentenced to two years and eight months imprisonment and Johnny sentenced to one year and eight months. Mulyana, Adhi and Eko are currently on trial.

A team of prosecutors named Imam in a list of alleged recipients of bribes from KONI to the ministry during Ending's trial at the Jakarta Corruption Court March.

"As an Indonesian citizen I will follow the whole legal process. Of course we must uphold the principle of innocent until proven guilty," Imam told reporters in front of his house in South Jakarta on Wednesday night. "I hope that this [case] is not political in nature and is not outside the law. The truth should be fully revealed."

Despite the timing of the announcement of Imam as a suspect, KPK spokesperson Febri Diansyah denied that it was related to the passing of the new KPK Law.

"The investigation started on Aug. 28 and investigators have engaged in several activities since that time, including the interrogation and arrest of MIU. We started this investigation before the new KPK Law was passed in the House's plenary session," he said during the press conference. "[Imam was named a suspect] because the results of the investigation found enough preliminary evidence."

At least two other ministers are said to be in the KPK's crosshairs: Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin and Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita. In April, KPK investigators raided Enggar's office in connection with a case of alleged bribery pertaining to shipping arrangements involving the country’s largest fertilizer company, PT Pupuk Indonesia Holding Company. Meanwhile Lukman was questioned in May in relation to a graft case involving Muhammad Romahurmuziy, formerly chairman of the United Development Party.

Both ministers have denied any wrongdoing.

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