Setya Novanto, Golkar Party Treasurer, undergoing an examination at the Corruption Eradiaction Commission (KPK) building, Jakarta on Tuesday (7/1). ANTARA/Wahyu Putro A
Temp.Co – The alleged involvement of Setya Novanto and Idrus Marham in former Constitutional Court chief Akil Mochtar’s bribery scandal has triggered suspicions that this case may be more than the maneuvers of one individual. Setya is the Golkar Party treasurer, while Idrun Marham is the party’s secretary-general, senior officials with links to other important people. As such, it is fair to deduce that the bribery scandal they are charged with may have involved the party itself.
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has questioned both men as witnesses. The commission should not stop there. It needs to seek the truth behind suspicions that bribe money found its way into party coffers or was used to cover the organization’s operating costs. The KPK, through the Akil case, has a chance to reveal the old-fashioned practices that have never been previously proven: that the party played a role in the bribery related to several disputed regional elections.
The ‘hand’ of the party was evident in the Akil Mochtar scandal, when the judge was caught by the KPK last October accepting money from Hambit Bintih, the then regent of Gunung Mas, Central Kalimantan. It was revealed that the middleman involved was Chairun Nisa, Golkar’s deputy secretary-general, who is also being detained by the KPK.
Did Chairun Nisa play a lone hand? Was his party ignorant of his ‘astuteness’? The KPK must continue its investigation until it uncovers the party’s role in such undertakings.
In addition to the Gunung Mas affair, Akil Mochtar is also involved in the Lebak case in Banten. We hope that the ongoing KPK investigation into the election of regional heads in East Java and Palangkaraya, Kalimantan, will clarify the role of the party in such deceptions.
In East Java, Idrus and Setya left clearer tracks. The telephone conversation between Akil and Zainudin Amali, the local Golkar Party chairman, exposed the actions of the two men. Zainudin told Akil about the role of Idrus and Setya in the bribes. Zainudin is known to have been the link man between Akil and the incumbent governor in the gubernatorial election. In Palangkaraya, Idrus appears to have been the middleman when elected Mayor Riban Satia handed over Rp2 billion to Akil. [Click here for full article…]
Indonesia Forward 