Permai Group Investigation Depends on Nazaruddin’s Verdict
Friday, 20 April, 2012 | 12:57 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:The judge’s ruling against Muhammad Nazaruddin is considered influential to the future of the defendant's holding company, Permai Group. “The Permai Group may be thoroughly investigated as well,” said Tama Satya Lankun, researcher from Indonesian Public Investigation Division of the Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW), contacted on Thursday evening.

Tama said the indictment may be applied if the verdict points to trial facts which implicates the company in graft cases. As a company, the Permai Group can be subjected to articles on money laundering for ‘keeping’ the money that Nazaruddin obtained from graft practices. Furthermore, the graft practices committed by Nazaruddin were no solo act, but a complex crime involving graft and money laundering practices and implicating other perpetrators. “However, if the judge does not take the Permai Group’s involvement into consideration, the company may escape from indictments.”

Tama added that the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is being challenged to prove the company’s involvement in multiple projects allegedly won through shady practices. If the KPK can drag the case to court, the reversal of evidence system can be applied to the Permai Group. The evidence reversal is expected to yield interesting finding with regard to the people involved in the money laundering and the ministerial officers who used the Permai Group’s ‘service’ to smooth out projects.

RAFIKA AULIA | JOBPIE S