Several masked officers from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in Jakarta on Wednesday (21/6) show evidence in the form of cash worth Rp 1.25 billion in a cardboard box confiscated during an arrest in Bengkulu on Tuesday (20/6). The KPK named four suspects after the operation, namely Bengkulu Governor Ridwan Mukti and his wife Lily Martiani Maddari, a director of PT Statika Mitra Sarana (SMS), Jhoni Wijaya, and PT Rico Putra Selatan president director Rico Dian Sari. The arrests were related to the case of a road upgrading project won by PT SMS.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — If Bengkulu Governor Ridwan Mukti and his wife, Lily Martiani Maddari, are eventually convicted of any crimes, their arrest would again have shown a decline in the values of honesty and integrity that should be taught in the family environment. Now families are even entering the whirl of corruption.
Ridwan and Lily were arrested by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Tuesday and were named corruption suspects on Wednesday (21/6). They are not the first husband-and-wife couple to have been arrested by the KPK for corruption. Previously, there were South Sumatra’s Musi Banyuasin Regent Pahri Azhari and his wife Lucianty, North Sumatra Governor Gatot Pujo Nugroho and Evy Susanti, Karawang Regent Ade Swara and Nurlatifah, Empat Lawang Regent Budi Antoni Al Jufri and Suzanna, and Palembang Mayor Romi Herton and Masyito.
Aside from regional heads, a corrupt official who also involved his wife in illegal activities was a former treasurer of the Democratic Party, Muhammad Nazaruddin. His wife, Neneng Sri Wahyuni, was proven guilty of corruption related to government projects awarded to her husband’s company.
Zainal Arifin Mochtar of the Anti-Corruption Study Center of Gadjah Mada University said spouses of regional heads can become involved in corruption if they start to believe they are also entitled to position, thereby leading them to interfere in government and influence policy.
According to Zainal, spouses or other members of a family are frequently used as intermediaries for corruption. This becomes the mode of official corruption. The family members of the regional head who allegedly act as intermediaries for bribery have even been accused of actively collecting from entrepreneurs.
Holding the role
In the accusations against the Bengkulu governor for being involved in bribery, the KPK said it suspects Ridwan\'s wife, Lily, of collecting money from entrepreneurs who wanted to win the tenders for the Bengkulu provincial government projects more than once. Lily allegedly acted with the knowledge of her husband. "We have evidence that the wife played a role. Therefore, the first payment of the bribes was [allegedly] received by the wife," said the deputy chairman of the KPK, Saut Situmorang.
The KPK arrested Lily at her house at 10 p.m. after allegedly receiving Rp 1 billion in cash from Rico Diansari, the treasurer of the Golkar Party\'s Bengkulu board and a businessman,.
Rico was suspected of having been a go-between sent by the director of PT Statika Mitra Sarana, Jhoni Wijaya. The money allegedly changed hands at 9 p.m. when Ridwan was still at home.
Afterwards, the KPK team arrested Jhoni in a hotel. The two suspects were taken to the Bengkulu Police headquarters for initial interrogations. At about 11 p.m., Ridwan, who heard his wife had been arrested by the KPK, went to the Bengkulu Police headquarters himself, at which time the KPK arrested him as well.
The KPK claimed it learned during the initial interrogations that the money was exchanged in connection with projects won by Jhoni\'s company. Ridwan and Lily were allegedly promised 10 percent of the value of each project.
The two projects were for upgrading the TES Muara Aman road in Rejang Lebong regency, which was worth Rp 37 billion, and the Curuk Air Dingin road, which was worth Rp 16 billion. The KPK claimed Rp 47 billion of the total of Rp 53 billion was promised to Ridwan.
The KPK has accused Ridwan, Lily, and Rico as being the recipients of bribes and charged them under Article 12a or Article 12b or Article 11 of the Law on the eradication of corruption and Article 55 paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code, which carry the maximum penalty of a life sentence upon conviction. Meanwhile, the KPK accused Jhoni of being the bribe giver and has charged him with violating Article 5 paragraphs 1a and 1b or Article 13 of the Corruption Law, which carry a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment upon conviction.
