KPK to Expedite Investigation Against Patrice After Pretrial Motion Lodged
Jakarta. Indonesian antigraft officials are racing to wrap up their investigation against a top politician charged with bribery, after he filed a pretrial motion to have the case against him dismissed.
“The investigation should not take too long to complete and next month we can already issue a P21,” Johan Budi, a deputy chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), told reporters on Monday, referring to an official letter declaring the investigation complete and ready for trial.
Patrice Rio Capella, a former chairman of the National Democrat Party (NasDem), is challenging the KPK’s authority to name him a suspect earlier this month in a bribery case. The KPK accuses him of taking Rp 200 million ($14,670) in bribes money from now-suspended North Sumatra governor Gatot Pujo Nugroho and his wife Evy Susanti in exchange for getting the attorney general, fellow NasDem politician H.M. Prasetyo, to drop an investigation into alleged embezzlement of social aid funds by the governor.
Patrice, who was detained by the KPK on Friday night, lodged a pretrial motion with the South Jakarta District Court last week, just days after he was charged on Oct. 15, and a court official confirmed on Monday that the motion would be heard on Friday.
The same court has drawn criticism for ruling in previous pretrial motions against the KPK, and the antigraft commission is seeking to head off that eventuality this time around by bringing its own case to court before the pretrial can be heard.
Patrice’s lawyer, Maqdir Ismail, said his client’s objections centered on whether the current KPK leadership – three of the five commissioners are serving on an interim basis – has the requisite authority to declare anyone a suspect.
“That is one of the issues contested [in the motion],” he said.
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