Politic Headlines

JAKARTA, Indonesia Today – Former head of the Financial Transaction Analysis and Report Center (PPATK), Yunus Husein, urges the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to immediately called in Bank of Indonesia (BI) and PPATK to help them investigating the flow of money of PT First Mujur Plantation & Industry in its efforts to find the masterminds of the high-profile bribery case in the election of Miranda Goeltom as Senior Deputy Governor in 2004.

“They should call in BI and PPATK to find the source or person, who has paid the credit of Bank Artha Graha (BAG) to First Mujur amounting to Rp24 billion,” Yunus to Detik.com Wednesday (Feb 1).

Yunus, who failed to be elected as one of new KPK leaders in the election at the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission III early December 2011, believes that both BI and PPATK could help KPK to investigate the flow of funds in the case. Yunus added that KPK should also investigate the payment of the purchase of plasma palm plantation to Ferry Yen, which according to Yunus there's something wrong with the transaction.

The name of PT First Mujur Plantation and Industry is mentioned for its role in the high-profile bribery case. Bank Artha Graha (owned by Tommy Winata and Sugianto Kusuma) has purchased the traveller’s cheques that were distributed to twenty-five lawmakers period of 1999-2004 upon the request of PT First Mujur Plantation and Industry.

KPK in earlier investigation of this bribery case has arrested Andy Kasih (president director of PT Bank Artha Graha International), Hidayat Lukman (president director of PT First Mujur Plantation and Industry), and Budi Santoso (finance director of PT First Mujur Plantation and Industry, and Koran Tempo said Budi is Tommy’s son-in-law) because of their roles in the case.

KPK continued the search for mastermind behind the high-profile bribery case by summoning three commissioners of PT First Mujur Plantations and Industry early this week. The three commissioners are FX Sutrisno Gunawan (President Commissioner Deputy), Ronald Harijanto (Commissioner) and Yan Eli Mangatas Siahaan (Commissioner). They were summoned as witnesses for Nunun Nurbaeti, one of suspects in the bribery case.

KPK has earlier also examined Budi Santoso, finance director of PT First Mujur Plantation for five hours on January 9 in relation to investigation of graft case. Budi once told a court hearing that First Mujur proposed for loans to Bank Artha Graha, whose disbursement were made through the traveller cheques. The cheques were delivered to Ferry Yen AKA Suhardi S, business partner of First Mujur in a plantation project in Sumatra. Ferry had reportedly passed away several years back. The cheques, somehow, handed over to Nunun, who then delivered them to lawmakers in the period of 1999-2004 through Ahmad Hakim Safari and Arie Malangjudo.

Two key persons in the case have named as a suspects in the case by KPK. They are Nunun Nurbaeti (wife of former deputy police chief and PKS politician, Adang Daradjatun) and Miranda S Goeltom. KPK chief, Abraham Samad has earlier said besides Nunun and Miranda, KPK is also looking for another mastermind, including the possibility of involvement of Bank Arta Graha in this bribery case.

Nunun, in her latest examination by KPK yesterday, claimed that she doesn’t know about the financier of the traveller’s cheques. (haryanto@theindonesiatoday.com)

Miranda Nunun Case