A senior Golkar Party leader says that the actions of party treasurer and lawmaker Setya Novanto in the PON scandal have nothing to do with the party. Sharif Cicip Sutardjo, party deputy chairman and fisheries and maritime affairs minister, said that the public should separate Setya’s public and private actions in scandal surrounding construction of venues last year for the National Games (PON) in Riau.
“If there’s are legal problems entangling him then it is his personal affair and has nothing to do with his position in the Golkar Party,” Sharif told reporters on Wednesday. However, Cicip said that Setya would be severely punished if the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) found evidence that Setya was criminally involved in the case. “We have rules and the sanctions are certain,” Cicip said.
Setya could be suspended in the same way Riau Governor Rusli Zainal was suspended from the Golkar central board after he was named a suspect in the same case. On Tuesday, KPK investigators raided the offices of Setya and fellow Golkar lawmaker Kahar Muzakir at the House of Representatives’ compound. Setya, who currently leads the Golkar Party’s lawmakers in the House, has been accused of asking an official in Riau, which hosted the games in 2012, for a US$1 million bribe for Golkar lawmakers to approve construction projects for the games.
The KPK said that the raids were conducted as part of the commission’s investigation of Rusli, the only senior Golkar politician to have been charged in the case. On Tuesday, KPK investigators also raided the private residence of Rusli in Kembangan, West Jakarta. KPK deputy chairman Busyro Muqoddas said on Wednesday that the house might belong to Rusli’s second wife, identified as Syarifah Darmiati, declining to give further details. Shortly after the raid, the Golkar Party central board convened an emergency meeting to discuss the next steps. Senior Golkar politician Agun Gunandjar Sudarsa apparently contradicted Cicip, saying that the party remained solidly behind Setya.
“Golkar members have a commitment to help each other and work together,” Agun told reporters. KPK spokesman Johan Budi said on Wednesday that investigators found strong indications that Setya and Kahar were involved in the PON graft case. “The places that we raided yesterday bear the traces of corruption from RZ,” Johan said, referring to Rusli. The former head of the Riau Youth and Sports Agency Lukman Abbas previously testified that he gave Rp 9 billion to Setya and Kahar.
Lukman alleged that both politicians declined to accept the bribe directly, insisting that the money be given to Kahar’s assistant, identified as Acin. “The money was paid to help expedite the disbursement of fund for the Riau PON from the state budget,” Lukman said in his testimony given on Aug. 2, 2012. “The money was given to Acin by two employees of a consortium for the stadium construction,” he added. Lukman received a five-and-a-half year sentence for his role in the case.
source : the jakarta post
source : the jakarta post
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