NAZARUDDIN UNDER THREAT?

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, July 10 (ANTARA) - Corruption suspect former Democratic Party (PD) treasurer Muhammad Nazaruddin who is believed now hiding abroad and wanted by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is reportedly willing to return home if police provide him with protection.          Nazaruddin who is still a legislator might be afraid to go home as the public in the country is demanding his arrest but why should he be afraid of the insistence for his arrest,  or there is another more important reason. Only Nazaruddin has the answer.          According to Setara Institute's chairman Hendardi, the dynamics in the Democratic Party (PD) is now changing from its early stand in sternly protecting  Nazaruddin to attacking him now. "The PD elite might deliberately be using a blow-up political communication strategy with aggressive attitude and comments. They  even have reported him to the police," Hendardi said.          The Setera Institute chairman said that the drastic change in the PD's attitude was apparently designed to counter the various issues supposedly disseminated by Nazaruddin through a Blackbarry Messenger (BBM). The ultimate objective of PD's change of attitude was to make the  public disbelieve the issues disseminated through the BBM.          He said that the allegations through the BBM that PD elite had collectively been involved in corruption was obviously not something  certain, yet the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) must scrutinize the information.  "It is impossible for a political corruption (budget mafia) to be committed individually," he said.          If it is true that Nazaruddin has important information, then parties involved in it will certainly be afraid if Nazaruddin is grilled in court.  So, is Nazaurddin fear of threats to his safety  has something to do with this ? It is only Nazaruddin who knows it.          Legislator Martin Hutabarat said that the former PD general treasurer will return to Indonesia at the end of this month but he was afraid of his safety so that he needed police protection.         "I got the information from Nazaruddin's close friend. I myself doubt the information," Martin, who is member of the House of Representatives (DPR)'s Commission III on legal affairs, said during a public discussion over the polemics of Nazaruddin case here over the weekend.         Legislator Martin Hutabarat said he had information that corruption suspect former Democrat Party (PD) treasurer Muhammad Nazaruddin would return home before the fasting month of Ramadhan  but on condition that police would provide him with security and guarantee his safety.         "I doubt the information because at present the public has strong insistence on the arrest of Nazaruddin," he said.          The KPK is investigating the case of alleged corruption in the construction of a SEA Games athlete house in Palembang (South Sumatra) and has named Nazaruddin as one of its suspects. However,  Nazaraddin had fled to Singapore  one day before he was banned from traveling over seas. His whereabouts now is unknown.          According to Fitriadi Muslim of the  Financial Transactions Report Center (PPATK), Nazaruddin could be tried in absentia.          "In order to prosecute Nazaruddin in absentia, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) can use the Anti-Money Laundering Law," Fitriadi Muslim said.          Fitriadi said that the PPATK had discovered about 109 suspicious financial transactions in the accounts of Nazaruddin. Of the 109 transactions, a number of transfers went to several accounts belonging to individuals and certain companies.          Six of the suspicious transactions  have been reported to law enforcers such as the KPK. However, the PPATK did not disclose the names of the recipients of the suspicious transactions.          "Based on the law, PPATK is not allowed to disclose publicly the names of recipients and the sources of a flow s of suspicious funds," Titri said.          Fitriadi said that by using Law No.8 / 2010 on Money Laundering, the KPK can try Nazaruddin without his presence.          However, Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) activist Febri Diansyah did not agree the idea to try the PD cadre  in absentia. He reminded that the KPK should not use the anti money laundering law because if it did so, important explanations on cases and people in his circles could not be obtained directly.          "Nazaruddin should not be tried in absentia because KPK needs a lot of explanations directly from him and these explanations can be used by the KPK to enter into other alleged cases which were still undisclosed," Febri said.           Therefore, the  ICW asked the  KPK  not to have doubts in investigating the alleged corruption case of  Nazaruddin. "The police role in the Nazaruddin case is to support the KPK to speed up investigation,"   Febri Diansyah said.           Febri said that the role of police in the Nazaruddin case should be more on assisting the KPK only in speeding up the handling of the former Democrat Party (PD) treasurer case.           "If Nazruddin is arrested, no matter who made the arrest, Nazaruddin should be under the control of KPK which is under the control of the people," the ICW activist said.           He said that it should not happen that Nazaruddin, if he was already arrested, was put under the control of other sides, namely political party because it would be very risky.     ***3*** (T.A014/A/H-NG /a014) 10-07-2011 17:18: