Antara news agency reported on Tuesday that the regent’s lawyer Maqdir Ismail revealed that Muara Enim Public Works and Public Housing Agency head Elvyn Muchtar, one of the suspects in the corruption case, had tried to give US$35,000 to Firli, who was serving as South Sumatra Police chief at the time of the case.

The revelation was part of the rebuttal statement during a hearing at the Palembang Corruption Court in Palembang, South Sumatra. Maqdir said the regent did not demand an unlawful commitment fee of Rp 22 billion ($1.5 million) from businessman Robi Pahlevi—who is also standing trial in the same case. He also argued that the commitment fee was an initiative from Elvyn who was responsible for 16 project packages with a total value of Rp 132 billion.

The bribery case against Ahmad began in September, when KPK investigators arrested Ahmad, Elvyn and Robi in Muara Enim for alleged bribery in relation to projects in 2019. The antigraft agency alleged Ahmad had accepted Rp 13.4 billion from Robi as a 10 percent commitment fee for road construction projects.

Maqdir said Elvyn tried to take advantage of the relationship between Ahmad and Firli to give the police chief the illicit money in August. After obtaining the money from Robi, the agency head called Firli’s nephew, Erlan, to inform him about the illicit money for the police general.

“However, Erlan replied: ‘I will tell him later, but he usually refuses to accept this kind of money’,” Maqdir said, reading out the plea, as quoted by Antara.

The conversation, however, was eavesdropped on by graft busters, who did nothing about the findings, Maqdir claimed. 

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