Enggartiasto Lukita Denies Giving Bribe to Suspect Bowo Sidik

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita refuted allegations saying he granted Rp2 billion to House of Representatives (DPR) member Bowo Sidik Pangarso.

“What’s my business to give him money? From me, I’m really sure there’s no [relation with Bowo],” said the minister in the State Presidential Complex, Jakarta, Monday, April 29.

Bowo Sidik has been named as a suspect in the alleged bribery surrounding the shipping cooperation between PT Pupuk Indonesia Logistik and PT Humpuss Transportasi Kimia (HTK). The Golkar politician supposedly received Rp1.2 billion from PT HTK marketing manager, Asty Winasti, to help the boat company secure a contract for the shipment of the fertilizer.

However, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) suspected Bowo did not only receive a bribe from one source only following the agency’s findings on the evidence of other receipts relating to his position as a legislator.

Earlier, the anti-graft body seized 400,000 white envelopes containing Rp20,000 and Rp50,000 bills totaling Rp8 billion from PT Inersia Tampak Engineer that was allegedly used to carry out serangan fajar or literally means dawn attack on the election day of April 17. 

Read: Trade Minister Plans to Retaliate to EU Ban on CPO

Bowo testified the bribe money of Rp2 billion and Rp8 billion came from Enggartiasto  to secure the Trade Ministerial Regulation No. 16/M-DAG/PER/3/2017 on trade in refined crystal sugar through auctions that would be expired in the end of June 2017. At that time, Bowo was the head of DPR commission VI that partnered with the Trade Ministry and state-owned enterprises.

According to Enggar, the permit for businesses relative to refined sugar trade was in his hands as the Trade Minister, not Bowo. Therefore, he rebuffed the allegations. “Why do I have to give money to other people?”

Today, April 29, the anti-graft body searched Enggartiasto Lukita's office while the latter was joining a limited meeting concerning the relocation of the capital city in the Presidential Office. He claimed to have no information yet regarding things confiscated by KPK investigators.

AHMAD FAIZ IBNU SANI