DPR Bribe Evidence to be Submitted
Tuesday, 16 May, 2006 | 14:03 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The House of Representatives’ (DPR) Ethics Committee submitted Rp5 million to DPR Chairman, Agung Laksono, as evidence of money distributed to the members of the Special Committee for the Aceh Government Bill.

It is expected that the DPR leaders respond to the evidence and issue an official offense decree to the DPR Ethics Committee to investigate the bribery suspicion. To do that, the Ethics Committee must received a complaint from the general public or DPR leaders. “The Ethics Committee wants in fact to be proactive, but there are rules,” said the Ethics Committee Chairman, Slamet Effendy Yusuf.

Having received the letter from DPR leaders, the Ethics Committee can perform its duty. “After the letter is issued by DPR leaders, we will call and scrutinize all members of the Special Committee for the Aceh Government Bill, including the chairman,” said the Ethics Committee Deputy Chairman, Gayus Lumbuun, after submitting the evidence to Agung Laksono.

Agung said today DPR leaders plan to hold a meeting in response. “Certainly the DPR leaders meeting will ask the Ethics Committee to investigate the case thoroughly to create a clean image of the DPR,” said Agung Laksono yesterday.

The Ethics Committee will solve the case 14 days after the letter from the DPR leaders is issued. In the investigation the Ethics Committee will see what is the motivation of the bribe of Rp5 million to each special committee member. If there are indications of gratification, the process will be continued with a legal procedure.

The Rp5 million submitted to the DPR leaders were the funds received by the special committee member from the Democratic Party faction, Benny K. Harman, which was previously given to the Ethics Committee. “Next the money was passed on to the DPR Secretary General, Faisal Djamal, to be returned to the special committee then back to the government,” said Gayus.

The Special Committee for the Aceh Government Bill Chairman, Ferry Mursyidan Baldan, said the bribe has never influenced the committee he led. “Special committee members are aware of their responsibilities,” he said.

Wahyudin Fahmi