"It is quite obvious Nazaruddin can not barter his sentence for her freedom, " Mahfud said after giving a lecture at Atma Jaya University here on Saturday.
He said Nazaruddin`s wife, Neneng Sri Wahyuni, who is now a suspect, must be immediately caught and sentenced according to her crimes.
"Nazaruddin`s statement that he is ready to receive the severest possible penalty in exchange for his wife`s acquittal is not applicable," he said.
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has already named Neneng Sri Wahyuni a suspect in connection with her alleged involvement in a corruption linked to procurement at a Solar Power project of the ministry of manpower and transmigration.
Neneng is now still at large after her husband was caught in Cartagena, Colombia, recently. The police meanwhile have already issued a red notice in an effort to arrest her.
Mahfud said the letter that Nazaruddin had recently sent to President Susilo Bambang Yudhyono asking that his wife and children be protected was a mere publicity stunt.
"His children sbould indeed be protected because they are still minors. But his wife, she must be arrested," he said.
Mahfud also said that President Yudhoyono could not protect Nazaruddin`s wife because her case was already being handled by the KPK.
So, "let the case be processed according to the procedures at KPK. I am convinved a maximum result will be achieved," he said.
Mahfud also said Nazaruddin`s arresy was done correctly according to the prescribed procedures and he had not noticed anything abnormal in it.
Mahfud said some observers who had suggested that Nazaruddin had been framed were just speculating.
"I think there has been no engineering behind it. The arrest was done according to the prescribed procedures," he said.
He said when Nazaruddin fled the country various cynical commentaries arose from observers who said that Nazaruddin would not be caught because he was protected.
He said their observation had now been proven wrong as the government had arrested him.
"Now they said that the arrest was engineered or that his human rights had been violated," he said.
Mahfud said he hoped the Indonesian people would not always blame the steps the government has taken in its effort to arrest Nazaruddin because they had all been done correctly.
"It is also impossible for KPK to engineer things in this case," he said. (*)
Editor: Ruslan Burhani
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
