KPK to Charge Fuad with Money Laundering

Jakarta (Antara) - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) said it would charged Fuad Amin Imron, chairman of the Bangkalan district legislative assembly with money laundering. KPK already named Fuad a corruption suspect after he was arrested on Monday night when he caught red handed receiving bribe money over the sales of gas for power plants in Gresik in East Java and Gili Timur in Bangkalan, Madura. KPK also arrested two suspects and confiscated Rp700 million from the suspects that night, Deputy chairman of KPK Adnand Pandu Praja said here on Wednesday. Currently a team of investigators are in Bangkalan to continue investigations, Adnand said, adding KPK found around Rp4 billion from a number of houses of Fuad in the process of investigations . There are indications of money laundering against Fuad, he said. "We sent a team there yesterday to see if they could find anything as there are a lot of money found in the houses of Fuad," he said. He said KPK will confiscate the assets of Fuad. "Everything will be confiscated on money laundering charge. Fuad has assets in Jakarta and Bangkalan," he said. "We are looking for his houses in Jakarta. In Bangkalan he has 4-5 houses," he added. Fuad had received bribe money regularly for a long time from a company owned by the district administration, therefore, KPK suspected he had many assets. "He was believed to have received bribe money regularly since 2007," Adnand said. KPK is asking for support from the Finance Transaction and Analysis Reporting Center for data about financial transactions by Fuad and his assets not yet found. Fuad as a government official reported his assets worth Rp6.37 billion when he was regent of Bangkalan in 2008-2013. Fuad if found guilty he is facing a maximum jail term of 20 years and a maximum fine of Rp1 billion The other two suspects are director of PT Media Karya Sentosa (MKS) Antonio Bambang Djatmiko and a courier Rauf. PT MKS was awarded the contract to build a gas pipeline from the West Madura Offshore gas block. The owner of the oil and gas block Pertamina Hulu Energy, a subsidiary of state oil and gas company PT Pertamina agreed to sell gas for the two power plants , but the gas pipeline and the power plants have not been built until now. (*)