KPK to Question Banten Governor Rano in Bank Bribery Case
Serang, Banten. Banten Governor Rano Karno will be questioned as a witness by the Corruption Eradication Commission, or KPK, on Thursday after the anti-graft agency busted an alleged bribery scheme surrounding two local council members and the establishment of province-owned bank.
Rano will be quizzed on the relationship between businessman Ricky Tampinongkol and two leaders of the Banten Legislative Council — council speaker SM Hartono and special commission chairman Tri Satriya Santosa.
Ricky, an executive director of the Banten provincial administration's investment and development arm Banten Global Development, is alleged to have a paid a series of bribes to the two councilmen in order to "smooth" local laws regarding the establishment of province-owned banks, which would affect the formation of Bank Daerah Banten.
The Banten government deliberated on funding proposals for the 2016 budget in December. The alleged bribery is believed to be linked to these discussions.
“The questioning will be held on Thursday at 10:00 a.m. [I have] no special preparations [for that],” Rano said on Tuesday at the Banten Provincial Government Center in Serang, Banten.
Rano, an actor and producer before entering politics, has confirmed that Ricky once told him the two legislators had approached him for money from Ricky.
“[Ricky told me] just once. I told him not to heed it [the request]. Perhaps the Thursday's questioning will be about that matter,” he added.
A KPK sting netted the three suspects on Dec. 1 at a restaurant in Serpong, Tangerang, as Ricky was handing a bribe to Tri ad Hartono.
The money — in both US dollar and rupiah bills — was confiscated during the bust and is worth tens of thousands of dollars.
Tags: Keywords: