I will seek pre trial against the KPK`s decision."Jakarta (ANTARA News) - North Sumatra Governor Gatot Pujo Nugroho and his wife Evi Susanti were named suspects in a graft case after being grilled for 13 hours by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Monday.
They and their lawyer O.C. Kaligis were charged with bribing judges of the Medan Administration Court (PTUN), acting deputy chairman of KPK Indriyanto Seno Adji said here on Tuesday.
If found guilty the couple would face a 15-year jail term with a fine of up to Rp750 million each.
The KPK leaders after a meeting on Tuesday would issue an order for investigation for the two new suspects, Indriyanto said.
Razman Arief Nasution, the lawyer of the Gatot family said that he would study the order for investigations of his clients as suspects.
"We will study. I will seek pre trial against the KPKs decision. My clients have repeatedly said they were not involved in bribing the PTUN judges," Razman said.
Earlier on Tuesday Evi denied involvement in a graft case saying money paid to lawyer O.C. Kaligis were lawyer fee.
O.C. Kaligis, who was already named suspect in the same case by the KPK is family lawyer since two years earlier, Evi told a news conference.
"The money we gave to Kaligis was our own money in payment of family lawyer fee. Not much, only around Rp50 million," she said.
She said she already knew Kaligis 14 years ago or before she met her husband in 2009 when Gatot was deputy governor of North Sumatra.
"We did recommend to Pak Fuad to hire Kaligis as his lawyer," Evi said.
She referred to Ahmad Fuad Lubis, former head of the financial bureau of the North Sumatra regional administration, and who has been summoned by the attorney general for investigations over alleged embezzlement of social aid fund in 2012-2014.
Fuad hired Kaligis to file a lawsuit with the Medan PTUN against the attorney general office.
Based on the Law No.30 of 2014 only PTUN has the authority to determine whether a civil servant has committed abuse of power or not.
On July 7, 2015, in a PTUN session presided over by its chairman Tripeni Irianto Putro with members of the court of justice including Amir Fauzi and Dermawan Ginting decided in favor of Fuad.
However, on 9 Juli 2015, KPK caught red handed Tripeni and lawyer Moch Yagari Bhastara Guntur alias Gerry from the Kaligis law firm with US$5,000 at Tripeni office room.
Later KPK also picked up Amir Fauzi and Dermawan Ginting and PTUN secretary Syamsir Yusfan.
It was also known later that earlier Gerry already gave US$10,000 and S$5,000 to the judges.
The money, according to Gerry lawyer Haeruddin Massaro, was provided by Kaligis, given to Dermawan Ginting on 5 July 2015.
Gatot and his wife brought the number of suspects in the graft case to 8 persons.
(Uu.H-ASG/B003)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2015
