Police Knew of Simulator Graft Case in 2011: PPATK

Markus Junianto Sihaloho & SP/Novianti Setuningsih

The Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center said on Friday that it had submitted a report on suspicious transactions linked to a driving simulator graft case to the National Police last year.

Muhammad Yusuf, chairman of the monitoring body known as the PPATK, said the agency gave a full report on the suspicious transactions, occurring from 2010 to 2011, to the National Police.

“It was first [given] to the National Police. We just didn’t specifically mention it was the simulator project,” Yusuf said during a discussion in Jakarta on Friday.

The PPATK submitted the report to the Corruption Eradication Committee (KPK) in May this year, and two months later the antigraft body named Djoko Susilo, a former director of the National Police traffic corps, as a suspect in the case.

Yusuf said the report clearly showed fund transfers from the simulator project’s tender winner to a National Police official.

“The one that we submitted showed a significant amount of fund transfers from the party involved to a police official.”

Djoko and two other National Police members stand accused of taking bribes in exchange for ensuring that “the party” referenced by Yusuf, Citra Mandiri Metalindo Abadi, won the simulator contract.

Meanwhile, the KPK admitted to having questioned witnesses in the case.

“There are investigations related to the driving simulator case. But for the sake of the investigation, they were not made public,” spokesman Johan Budi said on Friday.

Johan said investigators had so far questioned more than 10 people in the case.

The KPK and National Police have locked horns over the probe, with the National Police’s detective unit head, Sutarman, claiming that the police were investigating the case before KPK moved against Djoko. He accused the KPK of violating a memorandum of understanding between the two agencies and threatened to charge it with obstructing its investigation.

But the National Police chief said on Friday that his men were ready and willing to work with the KPK on the case, apparently heeding recent calls for cooperation from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

“Our commitment to uphold the law includes upholding the law related to corruption cases,” National Police chief Gen. Timur Pradopo said on Friday. He also said his commitment meant “whoever committed corruption should be strictly punished according to the law, including members of the National Police.”

The cooperation pledge comes after Yudhoyono spoke to Timur and KPK chief Abraham Samad on Wednesday. Yudhoyono said a day later that he had urged the two men to resolve the dispute.

“The two of you are the men I can count on, my best men in the fight against corruption,” he said on Thursday, quoting his own words to Timur and Abraham. “The KPK has a very significant role, and the National Police and the attorney general should also carry out their work. I hope [you] can collaborate to combat corruption.”