"Today, it is scheduled to examine ESA, the former president director of PT Garuda Indonesia for the 2005-2014 period, as a suspect related to corruption in the form of bribery in the procurement of planes and aircraft engines from Airbus SAS and Rolls-Royce PLC at PT Garuda Indonesia," KPK spokesman Febri Diansyah stated when confirmed in Jakarta on Wednesday.
Apart from ESA, the KPK has also named former president director of PT Mugi Rekso Abadi (MRA) Soetikno Soedarjo (SS) a suspect in the case.
The KPK also questioned SS on Tuesday (July 9) over the recent findings of alleged cross-country funds in the bribery case.
Following the questioning, SS declined to divulge details.
"Just ask the investigator sir, thank you," SS stated.
ESA and SS were named suspects on January 16, 2017, but the KPK has yet to arrest them.
ESA, in this case, stands accused of accepting bribes totaling 1.2 million euros and $180 thousand or a total of Rp20 billion and in the form of other items worth $2 million spread across Singapore and Indonesia from leading British manufacturing company Rolls Royce for the procurement of 50 Airbus SAS aircraft during the 2005-2014 period at PT Garuda Indonesia Tbk.
The bribe was offered through SS, who is accused of acting as an intermediary and as the "beneficial owner" of Connaught International Pte. Ltd located in Singapore.
SS is known to serve as the president commissioner of PT Mugi Rekso Abadi (MRA), a group of companies in the field of media and lifestyle.
Based on an investigation conducted by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), Britain's leading fraud and corruption investigator and prosecutor, a court in the United Kingdom has fined Rolls Royce 671 million pounds (around Rp11 trillion) for practicing bribery in several countries including Malaysia, Thailand, China, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Iraq, and Angola.
The KPK had initially received a report from SFO and the Singapore Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) that was investigating bribes allegedly paid by Rolls Royce in several countries. The SFO and CPIB also confirmed this with the KPK, including by furnishing several pieces of evidence.
The KPK, through CPIB and SFO, has also frozen several accounts and seized ESA's assets abroad.
Translator: Bernady Ferdiansyah/Eliswan Az
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
