TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Former Vice Chairman of the House of Representatives` Commission II, Teguh Juwarno, admitted that he was not aware of any meeting taking place regarding the electronic ID card or e-KTP. The PAN politician said that he was not present in the e-KTP grand meeting on May 2010 due to illness.

“At the time, I injured my tendon during a futsal game held at the House of Representatives, and was operated on May 7, so practically I never participated in the meeting,” Teguh said during the corruption trial on Thursday, March 23, 2017.

Read: KPK Confirms 37 House Member Involved in e-KTP Case

The grand meeting he referred to took place on May 5-11, 2010. The agenda of the work meeting on May 5th was with the Home Affairs Ministry. Meanwhile, on May 11th was a hearing session with Directorate General of Population and Civil Registration.

According to Teguh, almost every member of Commission II supported the e-KTP project. They viewed that the public needs to have a single identity for the sake of security. Other than that, they also want to establish a fixed final voter list for the 2014 presidential election.

Public prosecutor for the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) questioned Teguh’s statement on his knowledge of Commission II members’ support on the project.

Teguh said that he was made aware of the meeting's conclusion when he was questioned by KPK investigators. “After I was questioned, I asked for the meeting minutes. I know after I read it,” he said.

Teguh stated that he has never presented in any of the formal nor informal meeting discussing the Rp5.9 trillion e-KTP project. He also refused to be accused of smoothening the project’s budget discussion.

Members of the House of Representatives' Commission II are tasked to approve the amount of funding that was taken from the 2012 state budget. According to the e-KTP graft suspects, Irman and Sugiharto, House of Representative members received grafts in order to smoothen the project.

The graft money is suspected to be distributed during a number of informal meetings conducted by the House members and business partners of the Home Affairs Ministry.

MAYA AYU PUSPITASARI