KPK Denies Naming Setya Novanto as Suspect in Graft Case

Jakarta (Antara) - On Tuesday, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) denied issuing an order to investigate House Speaker Setya Novanto as a suspect in a graft case concerning the construction of the National Sports Week venue in Riau. "The KPK has never issued the order. We will examine the falsification of the order," KPK Deputy Chairman Bambang Widjojanto stated in a short text message. On Tuesday, duplicate copies of a document resembling an investigation order were circulated among the journalists. The document carries the names of four KPK investigators ordered to probe the alleged involvement of Setya Novanto in the graft case. Setya was charged with violating Article 12, Letter a or b or Article 11 of the anti-corruption law. The document resembling an investigation order issued on September 25, 2014, was signed by Bambang Widjojanto. "Under these current circumstances, the KPK will increase its alertness. It is likely that a certain group of people has intentionally sowed a slander to tarnish the credibility of the KPK by circulating the false order," Bambang emphasized. KPK spokesman Johan Budi pointed out that the fake order had a different format as compared to the original one. "The format is different from ours. The format of KPK's investigation order is not like that," he stressed. He warned the people against dragging the KPK, a legal institution, into the political domain. "The KPK is a legal institution. The KPK's domain is the law, and so it must be separated from the political domain," he added. (*) Reported by Desca Lidya Natalia