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

Controversial corruption suspect Muhammad Nazaruddin on Friday leveled yet more accusations against members of the Democratic Party, for which he was formerly the treasurer.

Nazaruddin, who is on trial for a bid-rigging scandal in the construction of an athletes’ village for last month’s Southeast Asian Games, has highlighted another allegedly irregular project: the construction of the Hambalang sports stadium in West Java.

Nazaruddin said construction company Adhi Karya had secured the project with the help of his trusted aide, identified as Mahfud Suroso.

Mahfud, he said, is the director of Dutasari Citralaras, which he co-owns with Athiyyah Laila, the wife of Democratic Party chairman Anas Urbaningrum.

“So there is a project [to construct] a taxation office, the project is also won by Adhi Karya. There’s a power grid project in Kalimantan. Adhi Karya won that, too. [All those projects] had been rigged by Mahfud Suroso,” he said.

Nazaruddin did not specify how Mahfud was able to ensure the projects were awarded to Adhi Karya, but he claimed that bribery was involved.

Adhi Karya, he said, agreed to a Rp 100 billion ($11 million) bribe for the projects, money that was later used by Anas in his bid to chair the ruling party.

On Friday, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) questioned Nazaruddin as a witness in the Hambalang investigation.

Nazaruddin said he told investigators who had been receiving illicit funds from the Hambalang project.

“Saan is involved. There will be more questioning to the money Saan received,” he said in reference to Democratic Party politician Saan Mustofa. “Jafar Hafsah also got [money from the Hambalang project]. I’ll explain this later.”

Jafar is the chairman of the Democratic Party faction in the House of Representatives.

Before his trial in the Jakarta Anti-Corruption Court on Wednesday, Nazaruddin showed journalists copies of receipts that he said were from the money Anas had distributed.

“These receipts are proof. For the originals, ask Anas because he is the one holding them,” Nazaruddin said.

Bambang Widjojanto, a KPK deputy chairman, said the 16 receipts shown to reporters would not bolster Nazaruddin’s defense, but they could be investigated further for use in ongoing and future probes by the KPK.

“It will be treated as a lead, which means we will have to verify it first,” Bambang said. “The process can’t be rushed.”

Nazaruddin stands accused of rigging a government tender for the construction of an athletes’ village in Palembang in return for at least Rp 4.3 billion in kickbacks. He has used the corruption investigation and his ongoing trial to level accusations at a number of members of the Democratic Party.

On Friday, the former party treasurer said the KPK should have enough evidence to charge Anas and other Democrats.

“All of the evidence is there, but the decision is in KPK investigators’ hands,” he said.