"The investigation by the KPK is very important to see whether the funds came from personal or other sources, as there are allegations that they came from a number of government projects," Zaenal Arifin Mochtar, the director of the Yogyakarta-based University of Gajahmada`s study center, said in a press release issued here on Monday.
A political psychology expert of the Jakarta-based state University of Indonesia, Hamdi Muluk, expressed the same view in the statement.
Zainal and Hamdi appealed to KPK to investigate the funds, totaling Rp300 billion, used by Nazaruddin to purchase the shares in the airline company.
They also hoped KPK could freeze the funds while the investigation is underway.
"If the KPK is investigating the funds while not freezing them, it might cause suspicions towards the law enforcement process itself," he said.
Hamdi suspected that the funds came from a number of government projects while Nazaruddin was party treasurer.
He said the suspicion increased after Nazaruddin was named as a suspect in the alleged bribery case in the SEA Games` Athlete Village construction project.
"I doubt the funds belong to Nazaruddin. Moreover, its value is 60 times larger than `the fee` for the Athlete Village project," he noted.
Hamdi also appealed to the House of Representatives (DPR) and the government to issue a law to regulate the flow of funds in political parties to make them more transparent.
Zainal Abidin said KPK, as a trusted anti-graft institution, must also investigate political parties` sources of funding.
He further appealed to all institutions concerned, such as the Financial Transactions Analysis and Reporting Center (PPATK) and the State Audit Board (BPK), to work together with KPK to prevent corruption, including tracing the sources of political parties` funds.
"I hope KPK will investigate the origin of the Rp300 billion invested by Nazaruddin in PT Garuda regarding the possibility of its connection with the political party's funds to see whether they came from contributions from sympathizers or other sources," he said.
(T.R024/H-YH/INE/F001)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2012
