South Sumatra Protected Forest Case: DPR Admits Receiving Funds
TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Several members of the House of Representatives (DPR) admit to receiving funds regarding the status change of protected forest in Air Talang Banyuasin, South Sumatra. The case has been investigated by the Commission to Eradicate Corruption (KPK).
Those who admit receiving the funds are Vice Chairman of the Forestry and Agricultural Commission, Suswono; a member of the forestry commission, Imam Suja; and a member of the faction from the National Awakening Party (PKB) Mufid Busyairi. They affirm the funds were returned to KPK. Suswono discloses receiving a traveler's check of Rp 150 million last year. “I returned it to KPK,” he said yesterday. Imam Suja acknowledges receiving a traveler's check of Rp 20 million and said that he had returned it to the KPK. “The KPK asked those who had received the funds to return it to the KPK,” said a politician from the National Mandate Party (PAN). Mufid Busyairi from the PKB faction said that he received a traveler's check in an envelope. “I thought it was a letter but it was a check of Rp 35 million,” he said. The check was cleared before being submitted to KPK.
The case of protected forests in Air Talang was revealed after KPK investigated the same case in Bintan, Riau archipelago, involving a member of the forestry commission, Al-Amin Nur Nasution. The commission inspected his office and other DPR members. They confiscated some documents related to the status change of Talang Air protected forest of 1,200 hectares into Tanjung Siapi-api harbor.
“This case is being investigated. That's all we can say for now,” said KPK deputy Chandra Hamzah to Tempo, last Wednesday. Other parliament's members said the KPK listed other recipients. It is alleged that one entrepreneur distributed money of Rp 10 billion to bribe parliament members when they visited Air Talang last year.
A member of the forestry commission, Ganjar Pranowo, denies this accusation, that he became a negotiator in the bribery incident. He said the action is not necessarily initiated by the recipient.
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