The Jakarta Globe, December 17, 2013.
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Tuesday detained bribery suspect Maria Elizabeth Liman, president director of beef importer Indoguna Utama.
“The KPK has detained M.E.L. at the Pondok Bambu detention center fort twenty days,” said KPK spokesman Johan Budi.
Maria has been a suspect in the case since April and her name came up repeatedly in the trial of disgraced Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) head Luthfi Hasan Ishaq, who was sentenced to 16 years in prison last week for attempting to corrupt Indonesia’s beef-import quota.
Prosecutors argued that Lufthi took Rp 1.3 billion in bribes from Maria between Oct. 2012 to Jan. 2013 to increase the agriculture ministry’s quota for imported beef.
The KPK made the arrest after Maria’s first interrogation as a suspect.
“I was made victim by Elda Adiningrat and Ahmad Fathanah,” Maria told journalists. “They’re the high-class brokers.”
Elda allegedly served as a mediator between Indoguna Utama and the PKS officials involved in the case. Ahmad, one of Luthfi’s close aids, was sentenced to serve 14 years in prison and pay a Rp 1.3 billion ($107,000) fine for his involvement.
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di 17 dec 2013 - 20:00