Banjarnegara Regent's Wife Refuses To Be Witness Regarding Alleged Bribery And Gratification Acceptance

Acting KPK Spokesperson for Enforcement Ali Fikri/PHOTO: Wardhany Tsa Tsia-VOI

JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) said the wife of the inactive Banjarnegara Regent Budhi Sarwono, Marwiyah, refused to be questioned as a witness for her husband. Marwiyah should have been investigated regarding the alleged receipt of bribes and gratuities in project procurement at the Banjarnegara Regency Government (Pemkab).

Acting KPK Spokesperson for Enforcement Ali Fikri said Marwiyah was indeed present at the KPK Red and White Building, Kuningan Persada, South Jakarta on Tuesday, December 28 yesterday. Only, he did not undergo examination.

"Marwiyah, a housewife, has complied with the summons of the investigation team and the person concerned expressed her refusal to be a witness because she has a core family relationship with suspect BS," Ali told reporters, Wednesday, December 29.

Even so, the KPK is still investigating the flow of money received by Budhi. This, said Ali, was carried out by examining three private witnesses, namely Subur Wiyono, Eman Setyawan, and Indra Novento.

"The three witnesses were present and their knowledge was examined, among others, related to the alleged flow of money received by suspect BS from contractors working on projects at the Banjarnegara Regency Government," he said.

As previously reported, Banjarnegara Regent Budhi was named a suspect along with Kedy Afandi (KA) who was the former head of his success team during the election. He is suspected of receiving a commitment fee of around Rp. 2.1 billion from contractors who want to get projects in his area.

Not only asking for a fee commitment, Budhi was also named a suspect because he played an active role in the implementation of the tender for infrastructure work. The KPK suspects that he was directly involved in distributing work packages at the PUPR Service, including family companies, and arranging the auction winners.

While Kedy is always monitored and directed by Budhi, especially when making arrangements for the division of work. This is so that companies affiliated with him and incorporated in the Bumi Redjo group can splash out on procurement projects.