The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Wednesday November 05 2014
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) confirmed on Tuesday that it was working with the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) to help complete an AGO investigation into another graft case involving Banten businessman Tubagus Chaeri “Wawan” Wardana, the younger brother of suspended Banten Governor Ratu Atut Chosiyah.
Wawan has been sentenced to four years in a bribery case and is also awaiting the completion of his dossiers on two separate graft cases on medical procurement in South Tangerang and Banten administrations along with money-laundering cases handled by the KPK.
Adding insult to injury, the AGO recently declared that Wawan and six other people, including another KPK detainee, Mamak Jamaksari, are graft suspects in a corruption case concerning the construction of health facilities worth billions of rupiah in South Tangerang administration where Wawan’s wife Airin Rachmi Diany serves as mayor.
KPK spokesman Johan Budi said that since Wawan and Mamak were currently in KPK custody, the AGO prosecutors could only question them inside KPK headquarters.
“We are coordinating with the AGO to complete this investigation,” said Johan on Tuesday.
Earlier on Monday, the AGO said that it had contacted the KPK asking for permission to question Wawan at the antigraft body headquarters.
Three AGO investigators who were allowed to question Wawan on Tuesday declined to give a statement.
“We only questioned Mamak,” one of them said on Tuesday, adding that they had yet to question Wawan.
Johan confirmed that Mamak was questioned by the AGO investigators.
“I will have to check whether or not Wawan was also questioned by the AGO investigators today,” said Johan.
Johan stated that Wawan’s cases at the KPK and AGO would be tried separately, a move that could result in a longer sentence for the politically savvy businessman.
Wawan’s lawyer Maqdir Ismail lambasted the KPK for not taking over the AGO case and handling the separate charges together.
“Separate dossiers and separate trials mean more years of imprisonment for my client. This is injustice.
“The graft cases at the KPK and AGO are essentially the same as both center on the procurement of medical facilities. The dossiers of the two cases should be combined into one,” Maqdir said on Tuesday.
Maqdir also confirmed that Wawan had not been questioned by the AGO investigators on Tuesday.
Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) supported the AGO’s and KPK’s plan to hold separate trials for the cases involving Wawan, saying that such a move could deter future corruption.
“The cases at the AGO and the KPK cannot be put into one dossier as they are different cases. Separate trials are better because it could mean a longer jail sentence. This could deter future graft suspects from committing the same offenses,” Emerson of ICW said on Tuesday.
Concerning the bribery case, Wawan was found guilty of bribing former Constitutional Court chief justice Akil Mochtar for matters related to the Lebak regency and Ban-ten gubernatorial election disputes being heard at the court.
Now he could face a maximum 20 years for his graft and money laundering cases currently being investigated by the antigraft body.
If found guilty by the court, Wawan could be sentenced to another 20 years behind bars for the corruption case being handled by the AGO. The AGO charged Wawan with Article 2 of the 1999 Corruption Law, which carries a maximum 20 years for graft suspects.
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wo 5 nov 2014 - 4:19