JAKARTA. The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) named on Wednesday senior Democratic Party member and businesswoman, Siti Hartati Murdaya a suspect in the bribery scandal implicating Buol regent Amran Batalipu.

“Our investigation has found enough evidence to name a new suspect in the case, namely SHM, the president director of PT Hartati Inti Plantations (HIP),” KPK chief Abraham Samad told a press conference at the KPK headquarters in Kuningan, South Jakarta.

Abraham alleged that Hartati had given Rp 3 billion (US$316,589) to Amran to expedite the issuance of a business permit for her company.

The KPK charged Hartati under Articles 5 and 13 of the Corruption Law on bribery and Article 55 of the Criminal Code on participating in a crime.

Hartati’s team of lawyers earlier claimed that Amran had tried to extort the Rp 3 billion from PT HIP, however, the company had only agreed to give Rp 1 billion.

Amran’s lawyer, Amat Entedaim, denied the extortion claim, saying that representatives from PT HIP had made the proposal to Amran .

He also claimed that PT HIP had given Rp 2 billion as a campaign donation for Amran’s reelection bid.

Yani Anshori, general manager of PT HIP, and Gondo Sujono, the company’s operations director, along with Amran have also been named suspects by the KPK in the case.

Editor: Edy Can