TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) said 14 of the 18 members of the Malang Legislative Council (DPRD Malang) had returned the bribe money pertaining to Malang's 2015 revised regional budget (APBDP).
"Some councilors of the DPRD Malang, 14 councilors have returned the money to investigators. We seized it as evidence of the investigation,” said KPK spokesman Febri Diansyah at the KPK building, South Jakarta on Friday, June 22.
Febri, however, could not confirm the amount of the money yet. "About the amount, I will update later," he said.
Read: KPK Searches Malang Public Works, Mayor Offices
Febri said the return of the bribe money could be used as consideration in the legal process.
"Although it cannot annul the crime, their being cooperative will be taken into account," he said.
The KPK has named 18 Malang councillors and non-active Malang Mayor Mochamad Anton as graft suspects.
Read: Malang DPRD Crippled as 19 Councilors Nabbed for Bribery Charges
The councilors and mayor were named suspects in light of developments in a graft case implicating former DPRD Malang speaker M. Arief Wicaksono and the ex-head of the city's head of public works and building supervision agency, Jarot Edy Sulistiyono.
Arief allegedly took Rp700 million in bribe money from Jarot, of which Rp600 million were distributed to a number of Malang councillors.
ANDITA RAHMA
