The Jakarta Globe, December 11, 2013.
Golf clubs, gold jewelry and batik shirts hit the auction block on Wednesday in the Corruption Eradication Commission’s (KPK) first public auction of corruptor’s ill-gotten gains at South Jakarta’s Istora Senayan indoor tennis stadium.
The antigraft body, its evidence room bursting at the seams following a banner year, said the auction-cum-exhibit was more than a publicity stunt. The event featured a display of the KPK’s recent work, including a photo of disgraced Constitutional Court chief justice Akil Mochtar slapping a journalist and a bass guitar signed by the heavy metal band Metallica, but it was also a fundraising effort.
“Of course the stuff is interesting, because all the stuff comes from state officers,” Swasti Putri, of the KPK’s public complaint directorate, said at the event. “But I think it is a common auction. It’s not, ‘this is for the KPK’ or ‘this is for the country’ or ‘this is for awareness’ — it’s just an auction.”
The KPK put 78 items up for auction, most of which were strikingly mundane. The lives of the rich and corrupt may seem flashy when they hit the papers, but the KPK auctioned off the basic accoutrements of the crooked public official — pens possibly used to ink a back-room deal, a BlackBerry Bold 9900, presumably wiped clean of incriminating evidence, and a few Danar Hadi batik shirts for those ever-important public events.
This year’s haul came from now-closed investigations, Swasti said, which explained the notable absence of Rudi Rubiandini’s black BMW motorcycle, Tubagus Chaeri Wardana’s fleet of sports cars or the Hambalang sports complex on the auction list.
Rofie Hariyanto, an employee with the KPK, walked off with an unopened holiday gift basket — both its contents and its former owner a mystery — for Rp 408,000 ($33).
“I didn’t plan to bid for the parcel; I just saw it and decided to take part in the auction,” Rofie said. “I just wanted to see how it went and to participate in the event, which was intended to show the public that graft items can be auctioned. Thankfully it was a success, the public showed great interest.”
A guitar given by Metallica to Jakarta Govenor Joko Widodo, on display at Istora Senayan in Jakarta on Wednesday. (JG Photo/Benjamin Soloway)
A guitar given by Metallica to Jakarta Govenor Joko Widodo, on display at Istora Senayan in Jakarta on Wednesday. (JG Photo/Benjamin Soloway)
The 35-year-old had his eye on something a little more flashy, the bass signed by Metallica’s Rob Trujillo that was given to Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo. The bass wasn’t for sale on Wednesday and Rofie likely would’ve faced steep competition for the governor’s prized metal memorabilia.
“When is the auction?” Joko asked a reporter when he was told of the event. “If it’s today, I will go there. I will register myself as an auction bidder.”
The governor said he would happily pay up to Rp 10 million ($830) for the bass.
“If they opened the price at 8.5 million rupiah, I would bid 9 million rupiah,” he said. “If other auction participants bid more than 9 million rupiah, I’d bid 10 million rupiah.”
For now, the guitar will remain safe in the KPK’s possession. The governor might get it back… one day.
“Maybe Jokowi will get the guitar or the guitar will be sold to the public — I’m not quite sure,” Swasti said.
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wo 11 dec 2013 - 22:10