Corruption allegations dealt a heavy blow to the NasDem Party for the second time, just over four months ahead of the presidential election. Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD said on Wednesday that the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) had named Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo a suspect over alleged malfeasance. The news came after KPK investigators searched Syarul’s official residence and office in Jakarta, as well as his houses in Makassar, South Sulawesi, while he was on a working visit to Europe last week.

Syahrul is the second NasDem politician that law enforcers have ensnared this year after former communications and information minister Johnny G. Plate. The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) indicted Johnny for accepting bribes in the construction of 4G base transceiver stations, which he had supervised.

During the search of Syahrul’s official residence on Sept. 29, investigators were seen carrying a money counter. KPK spokesperson Ali Fikri said the money counter was brought to count the cash found inside the house. Ali added that the money consisted of rupiah and foreign currencies totaling “tens of billions” of rupiah. The investigators also seized several financial records and electronic documents, as well as 12 firearms.

Tempo reported that two men, believed to be lawyers, attempted to enter the house as the search was underway. They claimed to have been asked by an unnamed NasDem politician to monitor the progress of the search.  However, the investigators did not give them access to the premises as they could not prove that they were Syahrul’s attorneys. One of them wore a name tag that said “Sugandi”.

The KPK also searched the Agriculture Ministry’s office on Sept. 30. Confirming the search, Ali said investigators were looking for more evidence at the ministry’s Building A and the secretary-general’s office.

However, Ali denied media reports suggesting that the KPK had named Syahrul, Agriculture Minister Secretary-General Kasdi Subagyono and the director of agricultural machinery equipment Muhammad Hatta suspects in the corruption case.

According to Tempo, the KPK had secured sufficient evidence to launch a full-blown investigation into Syahrul. Statements from key witnesses obtained by the antigraft body revealed that Syahrul had received money from officials within the Agriculture Ministry, which was coordinated by Kasdi and collected by Hatta for Syahrul’s personal use. The same report found that Hatta was a central figure in the case as Syahrul’s right-hand man. Syahrul brought Hatta to Jakarta after his appointment as minister.

Furthermore, several officials within the ministry confirmed this bribery practice had been ongoing for the past few years. Allegedly, each directorate led by a high-ranking official was required to contribute at least Rp 250 million per year. The money was then collected through various channels, such as the facilitation of travel orders (SPPD) or budget reductions for official travel expenses.

The KPK questioned Syahrul in July as a witness.

What’s more

Ali confirmed that the KPK searched two houses belonging to Syahrul in Makassar. The KPK spokesperson however declined to reveal what the investigators found there.

Syahrul suddenly went missing after news of the searches broke. The Agriculture Ministry said in a press release on Sept. 30 that Syahrul was visiting a greenhouse in Almeria, Spain, and met up with the Spanish Agriculture Minister Luis Planas Puchades.  However, high-ranking officials close to Syarul, such as Deputy Agriculture Minister Harvick Hasnul Qolbi and NasDem secretary-general Hermawi Taslim, admitted to having not heard a peep from him. Syarul was scheduled to return to Indonesia on Oct. 1.

NasDem treasurer Ahmad Sahroni later stated that Syahrul sought medical treatment for prostate problems following the searches.

Directorate General of Immigration Silmy Karim confirmed that Syahrul arrived in on Oct. 4. KPK investigators have also confirmed that they will be summoning suspects and witnesses for questioning to follow up on the series of searches they conducted.

KPK investigators summoned Febri Diansyah and Rasamala Aritonang on Oct. 3 for questioning. Ali said the two former KPK officials were grilled over their knowledge of several documents found during the searches. Febri and Rasmala were known to be Syahrul’s attorneys when the KPK was conducting a preliminary investigation into the minister’s alleged role in the corruption case. The KPK also summoned Donal Fariz, who is Syahrul’s legal team, but he failed to turn up for questioning.

Pressures have mounted on the KPK to thoroughly examine the case, or the public might suspect Syahrul is simply another victim of criminalization aimed at undermining the NasDem Party and its presidential candidate Anies Baswedan.

Mahfud said he fully supports a thorough investigation into the case and is willing to help the investigators if necessary.

What we’ve heard

A source familiar with the KPK investigation into the case involving Syahrul said the antigraft body has not officially declared the minister a suspect because of his negotiation with one of the KPK leaders. The compromise resulting from the negotiation included a promise not to name Syahrul a suspect, but the KPK would charge the Agriculture Ministry secretary-general and one of Syahrul's special staff.

“There was a reward that was given to the KPK leader through his adjutant,” the source said.

The same source said, however, the KPK investigators carried on the probe. They searched Syahrul’s official residence, office and private houses without the knowledge of the KPK leader who had made a deal with Syahrul.

Syahrul has filed a lawsuit with the Jakarta Police against the KPK leader for alleged extortion, following the broken promise. Syahrul's aide and driver, who are believed to be aware of this case, have already been summoned by the police as witnesses. The case is being handled by Sub-Directorate V of the Special Criminal Investigation Directorate of the Jakarta Police.

Disclaimer

This content is provided by Tenggara Strategics in collaboration with The Jakarta Post to serve the latest comprehensive and reliable analysis on Indonesia’s political and business landscape. Access the latest edition of Tenggara Backgrounder to read the articles listed below:

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