•    HOME   
•    NEWS   
•    BUSINESS   
•    INTERNATIONAL   
•    TECH   
•    SPORTS   
•    LIFE & TIMES   
•    OPINION   
•    MY JAKARTA   
•    BLOGS   

Jakarta. The National Human Rights Commission is probing whether lawmaker Panda Nababan had his rights violated when he was named a suspect for taking bribes over the 2004 appointment of economist Miranda Goeltom as Bank Indonesia deputy governor.

Commission chairman Ifdhal Kasim said on Monday an initial analysis of a complaint filed by Panda showed his rights might have been violated.

“We have launched an official investigation and will focus on whether Panda’s accusation is true or not,” Ifdhal said.

Panda claims he was named a suspect by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) based solely on statements by Dudhie Makmun Murod, a fellow lawmaker from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

In his trial, Dudhie, who was jailed for two years for taking bribes, said Panda and other PDI-P officials also received bribes.

Based on that statement, the KPK named 14 PDI-P lawmakers, including Panda, as suspects.

“The problem is that the KPK never had any physical evidence of Panda receiving the bribes. This is why Panda says his rights have been violated,” Ifdhal said.

“For us, his complaint is worth looking into.”

He said the commission, also known as Komnas HAM, would closely monitor any legal investigation by KPK into the case.

The KPK on Monday questioned Miranda as a witness.

She reiterated she had no idea at the time that some lawmakers had received travelers’ checks worth between Rp 250 million ($28,000) and Rp 2 billion in exchange for voting her as senior deputy governor of BI.

Thirty out 39 former and current lawmakers who allegedly received the bribe money have been charged, including four who have already been jailed.

Three of those not charged are still under investigation, while the rest are out of the KPK’s jurisdiction or have died.

KPK spokesman Johan Budi said Miranda was questioned as a witness for the 26 legislators charged last month.

Also scheduled for questioning was businesswoman Nunun Nurbaeti Daradjatun, who the KPK said acted as a middleman in the case.

Nunun’s lawyer, Ina Rachman, however, said her client was still being treated in a hospital in Singapore for a mysterious illness that caused memory problems.

Nunun, the wife of Prosperous Justice Party lawmaker Adang Daradjatun, has been evading summonses from the antigraft commission and the Anti-Corruption Court.

Her failure to respond led the court to tell the KPK to conduct its own medical examination.

“We haven’t been able to conduct the examination,” Johan said.

“We want to get a second opinion but when we checked, she was not registered as a patient at the hospital.

“Investigators are now deliberating our next move.”

Several witnesses have told the Anti-Corruption Court that Nunun channeled 480 travelers’ checks to lawmakers.

Although Nunun is known to be a close friend of Miranda, she has no businesses directly linked to the banking sector.

Legal analysts have long predicted the KPK will have a hard time checking Nunun’s condition, pointing out that there are virtually no bilateral agreements between law enforcers in both countries, including on extradition.

Singapore is infamous for harboring corrupt Indonesian officials.

The KPK on Monday also quizzed three of the suspects: Soewarno, Sutanto Pranoto and Matheos Pormes, all former lawmakers from the PDI-P.

The three are accused of receiving Rp 350 million to Rp 650 million each.