Anti-Graft Body Searches Energy Ministry Building

Jakarta (Antara) - Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigators searched the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry on Friday, after its secretary general was named as a suspect in an alleged graft case at the ministry the day before. The KPK investigators who arrived at the ministry at around 2.30 p.m. went straight to the sixth floor of the ministry's secretariat general building to the office of the financial bureau. Police personnel guarded the office while the KPK investigators searched it. One of the investigators refused to comment on whether or not the search was related to the naming of the ministry's secretary general, identified by his initials as WK, as a suspect in the alleged graft case. "We are going to the sixth floor," stated one of the investigators. Journalists were denied entry to the sixth floor by the ministry's security guards. The KPK has named WK as a suspect in an alleged graft case at the ministry. "KPK investigators have found two pieces of evidence pointing to an alleged corruption case related to activities in the ministry. Therefore, they have named the secretary general of the ministry as a suspect," KPK spokesman Johan Budi stated here on Thursday. KPK named WK as a suspect after broadening its investigations in a bribery case involving former chief of the Upstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Special Task Force (SKK Migas), identified by his initials as RR, he pointed out. RR was named as a suspect for allegedly accepting a bribe of US$400 thousand from the commissioner of PT Kernel Oil Private Limited, SGT, through his golf trainer. He was arrested at his house in Jl, Brawijaya, South Jakarta, on Aug. 13. Later, the KPK had also named RR as a suspect in the money laundering case. Following the arrest of the former SKK Migas Chief, KPK officers had searched a number of places, including the office of the secretary general of the ministry, from whom they seized 200 thousand US dollars. WK has already been questioned five times as a witness in the case. He was questioned about the money given to RR. (*)