Sleman, Yogyakarta (ANTARA News) - Democrat Party chief Anas Urbaningrum said the party respected the legal process in which its deputy secretary general Angelina Sondakh had been named a suspect in the SEA Games athletes village corruption case.

"The decision to name Angelina Sondakh a suspect is the authority of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). If Anggie needs a team of lawyers we will help provide legal advocacy," he said here on Sunday.

"We hope the legal process (of the Anggie case) will run fairly and objectively according to the legal corridor and need not draw a variety of opinions," he said.

The anti-graft body said on Friday (Feb 3) Angie was named a suspect based on facts and new evidence collected from the development of the case.

KPK chief Abraham Samad said Angie was to be charged based on Article 5 Paragraph 2 or Article 11 or Article 12 Point A of Law Number 31 on corruption eradication for receiving pledges or gifts.

He said the new suspects would become an entry point for uncovering the involvement of other parties. Therefore, he said, KPK has asked for Angie and I Wayan Koster, a politician from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), to be banned from traveling abroad.

The Ministry of Law and Human Rights through the Directorate General of Immigration has issued the ban for them. Deputy Minister of Law and Human Rights Denny Indrayana said the ban is effective as of February 3, 2012.

Angie and Koster once denied they had received fees for helping make PT Duta Graha Indah (DGI) win the project worth Rp191 billion. (*)

Editor: Kunto Wibisono
Copyright © ANTARA 2012