The KPK investigators had conducted a raid at Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita's house over an alleged bribery case though not confiscating anything from the place, the anti-graft body's spokesman confirmed.
"During the raid, the KPK investigators did not find anything related to the case that they could impound at the trade minister's house. Hence, the investigators did not seize anything from that place," Febri Diansyah informed journalists here on Thursday.
The KPK investigators had raided the minister's office on Monday (Apr 29) and his home on the subsequent day to probe the case of alleged bribery involving a member of the House of Representatives (DPR), only identified by the initials as BSP.
During their raid at Lukita's office on Monday, the anti-graft body's investigators took possession of several sugar trade documents and electronic evidence, Diansyah revealed.
"The investigators scrutinized the documents and electronic evidence for later presenting a clarification to witnesses," he remarked, adding that the KPK had named three suspects: BSP, IND (private sector), and AWI, a marketing manager of PT Humpuss Transportasi Kimia (HTK).
BSP's lawyer, Saut Edward, noted that the money BSP had used to bribe voters in the wee hours of the morning, or locally known as "Serangan Fajar" (dawn attack), before the 2019 General Elections convened, had been allegedly offered by one of the cabinet members.
The KPK investigators had taken into arrest BSP and impounded 82 cardboards and two container boxes filled with some 400 thousand envelopes containing cash money, totaling an estimated Rp8 billion.
Those envelopes readied by BSP for conducting the "Dawn Attack" were to be handed out to voters in the districts of Kudus, Jepara, and Demak in Central Java Province.
Corruption crimes continue to gnaw into the very edifice of Indonesia. Hence, Vice President Jusuf Kalla has backed the continuing efforts to put an end to corruption in the nation, reiterating that the endeavors have been so extensive that it has had a deterrent effect on state officials.
"Corruption persists, but the efforts to get rid of the crime too are quite humongous. Only those brazen and not fearing arrest commit this crime," Kalla had remarked in Jakarta last February.
A fair law enforcement mechanism is in place to fight corruption as is apparent from the number of people detained and facing court trials. Regional leaders, ministers, and members of parliament are among those convicted, Kalla stated.
Translator: Desca LN, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Sri Haryati
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
