Politician Named Suspect in Meat Import-Related Bribery Case

Jakarta - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has named a Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) politician a suspect in a bribery case related to meat imports. "Based on the result of an expose we come to the conclusion that the KPK has found two pieces of adequate evidence pointing to a bribery case involving JE and AAE and lawmaker LHI," KPK spokesman Johan Budi said on Wednesday. LHI is PKS president who is currently a member of the House of Representative Commission I overseeing defense and foreign affairs. JE and AAE are directors of PT Indoguna Utama caught red-handed on Tuesday night, along with a woman, identified by her initial as M. Johan said JE and AAE handed Rp1 billion in cash to AF who later gave the money to LHI. "It can be concluded that both AF and LHI have violated article 12 letter a or b or article 5 sub-article 1 or article 11 of Law No. 31/1999 as already amended by Law No. 20/2001," he said. "Based on the result of the expose, JE and AAE are believed to have violated article 5 sub-article 1 or article 13 of Law No. 31/1999 as already amended by Law No. 20/2001," he said. Johan said a KPK team came to PT IU office to meet JE and AAE but was received by AF. "So there was a transfer of money at the PT IU building at that time. We received a tip-off that AF would meet with a person at a hotel," he said. The KPK team arrested AF and M at the hotel at around 08.00 p.m. on Tuesday, he said. (*)