KPK to grill junior attorney general

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is to grill Junior Attorney General for Special Crimes Kemas Yahya Rahman on Wednesday (March 12, 2008) in the bribery case against a public prosecutor who had investigated a BLBI (Bank Indonesia Liquidity Assistance) debtor, Attorney General Hendarman Supandji said.

Speaking to the press here on Monday, Supandji said he had received a letter from the KPK asking for his consent to question the junior attorney general.

"I have received a letter from the KPK asking permission to examine the junior attorney general and I have let them do it," Supandji said at the Attorney General`s Office (AGO).

He said, in its letter to him, the KPK had said it would question Rahman as a witness in the case of public prosecutor Urip Tri Gunawan who had allegedly received a brine from Arthalita Suryani, a business woman.

On March 2, 2008, the KPK caught Gunawan redhanded in receiving US$660,000 in cash from Suryani in a house in South Jakarta which proved to belong to Sjamsul Nursalim, owner of BDNI bank, a BLBI debtor an AGO team headed by Gunawan had been investigating.

The arrest was made only a few days after Kemas Yahya Rahman announced the team headed by Gunawan had not found any indications of corruption in the way BDNI had settled its BLBI debt.

KPK spokesman Johan Budi said the money received by Gunawan was suspected to be linked with the BDNI`s BLBI debt.

In the meantime, Junior Attorney General for Supervision Affairs MS Rahardjo was reported to be still investigating Kemas Yahya Rahman and the AGO`s Investigation Director, M Salim. (*) end