Minister Muhaimin to be Questioned about Bribery Money
Monday, 20 February, 2012 | 13:35 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar has been scheduled to testify as witness in the bribery case involving projects which used transmigration area infrastructural development acceleration funds. The minister, in trial at the Anti-Graft Court (Tipikor) scheduled on Monday, will testify against defendant I Nyoman Suisnaya, secretary-general of the Transmigration-Community Development Directorate.

Nyoman’s side will question Minister Muhaimin on his alleged involvement in the case. The questions will cover a money trail leading to Muhaimin distributed by the minister’s inner circle. “Whether he knows or even received the funds,” said Bachtiar Sitanggang, Nyoman’s lawyer, contacted on Sunday.

The case was exposed after the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) caught Nyoman and Dadong Irbarelawan, the Transmigration Ministry’s Head of Evaluation and Program Division, red handed at the ministry’s office in Kalibata on Aug. 25. The KPK also collared Dharnawati, Alam Jaya Papua director and project partner. During the arrest, the KPK seized Rp1.5 billion stored in a durian cardboard box. The money was strongly suspected as bribe money related to the Rp500-billion worth of infrastructural project.

M ANDI PERDANA | RUSMAN PARAQBUEQ | JOBPIE S | SUKMA