Saturday 9 August 2008

Minister defies KPK's questioning

I wonder why the Minister of Forestry did not attend???

Saturday, August 9, 2008 Jakarta Post

Minister defies KPK's questioning

The Jakarta Post Fri, 08/08/2008

Forestry Minister Malam Sambat Ka'ban failed to attend a questioning session on the alleged embezzlement of Bank Indonesia (BI) funds, at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) headquarters Friday.

"There was no explanation from him about his absence. We'll send another summons for him," KPK spokesman Johan Budi said Friday afternoon. Budie said Ka'ban was a witness in the case.

The KPK allege that in 2003, the then BI governor illegally disbursed Rp 31.5 billion (US$3.4 million) to House Commission IX, overseeing banking and financial affairs, through two former members of the commission, Hamka Yandhu and Antony Zeidra Abidin. Ka'ban was a former member of the commission.

Hamka testified to the Corruption Court that all 52 members of the commission accepted at least Rp 250 million of the money. Hamka said he personally gave Ka'ban Rp 250 million. Ka'ban,however, has denied his testimony. Paskah Suzetta, another former member of House Commission IX and the current state minister for national development planning, was said to have accepted around Rp 1 billion.