MAKI: KPK Should Not Hesitate To Name Azis Syamsuddin As A Suspect

Gedung KPK (Irfan Meidianto/VOI)

JAKARTA - The Coordinator of the Indonesian Anti-Corruption Society (MAKI) Boyamin Saiman believes that the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) no longer needs to hesitate to name the Deputy Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Azis Syamsuddin, as a suspect.

He conveyed this in response to the emergence of Azis' name as a briber to the former in the indictment of the KPK investigator who became a case broker, Stepanus Robin Pattuju. In addition, this Golkar Party politician is also said to be an intermediary between Stepanus and other litigants.

Boyamin said apart from the construction of the giving and introductions revealed by the KPK Public Prosecutor (JPU), the anti-corruption commission could obtain confirmation of Azis' involvement from the witnesses presented, documentary evidence, to evidence of short messages or telephone conversations.

"So there are at least three of them. Well, if later the construction of the indictment is strengthened in the trial of testimony and actual evidence, the KPK should have no doubt that at least two pieces of evidence will be found to investigate and identify the US suspect", Boyamin said in a statement to reporters quoted on Tuesday, September 14.

Even so, Boyamin admitted that his party would still wait for the trial, especially as a community, all parties must comply with the principle of presumption of innocence.

However, he admitted that he was ready to file a pretrial lawsuit if the KPK is suddenly sluggish in the middle of the road. Moreover, Azis' involvement has been revealed in Stepanus' indictment which was read out here on Monday, September 13 at the Jakarta Corruption Court.

"So the KPK cannot include the names of people in the indictment but it is not supported by evidence. If this is the case, then we will ask the Chairperson of the KPK to be responsible for how to pass an indictment that turns out to be not supported by evidence", he stressed.

As previously reported, Azis, who is a politician from the Golkar Party, was dragged into the vortex of the bribery case of a former KPK investigator who became a case broker, Stepanus Robin Pattuju.

He is suspected of giving money worth Rp. 3 billion and USD 36.000 to take care of the bribery case in Central Lampung which is being handled by the KPK to Stepanus and his colleague, Maskur Husain.

In addition, Azis is suspected of being the mouthpiece of potential corruption suspects with Stepanus who is the case broker. He is said to have introduced Stepanus to the inactive Tanjungbalai Mayor M Syahrial at his official residence on Jalan Denpasar, South Jakarta in December 2020.

From that meeting, Syahrial then gave money to Stepanus to stop the investigation into the alleged bribery of buying and selling positions. Next, Azis also played a role in introducing Stepanus to the former Kutai Kertanegara Regent Rita Widyasari before the money giving was carried out.