KPK Investigators Deny Intimidating Witness Miryam in E-KTP Case
30 March 2017 14:04 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Novel Baswedan, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Investigation Task Force chief in the e-KTP graft case, have denied intimidating witness Miryam, a member of the House’s Commission II for 2009-2014 term, during interrogation. He said that questionings were held smoothly.
“In the first questioning, Miryam gave articulated, clear, concise statements,” Novel told the panel of judges of the Jakarta Corruption Court on Thursday, March 30, 2017.
Novel explained that three investigators questioned Miryam on the occasion: Novel himself, Ambarita Damanik and Irwan Susanto. “But Pak Darmanik was there for only a few minutes to ask for facts collected in relation to the witness,” he said.
According to Novel, investigators neither threatened nor intimidated the witness during the interrogation. He revealed that Miryam even laughed at some point in the questioning.
“The witness was questioned well and she had confessed everything from the outset. Investigators did not intimidate witnesses who did not confess, let alone those who did confess. It’s illogical, Your Honor,” Novel said.
Novel noted that investigators learned Miryam’s side of the story during the interrogations. Investigators even asked Miryam to write down the timeline of her story in the e-KTP case.
Novel also denied that he and two of his colleagues told Miryam what to say in her statement. “I did not tell her [to do as we pleased], I instead wanted to hear the real story because some facts were not yet revealed and were only known after the witness disclosed them,” he said.
Novel’s statements have been corroborated by that of Irwan and Damanik. “There was no intimidation during questionings. We can see it ourselves that she had knowingly and voluntarily made the statements, the BAP [investigation report] was not initiated by us, but was based on witness’ statements,” Irwan said.
Damanik said that he had never seen Miryam cry or vomit during interrogations as professed by Miryam in the previous trial session. “If the witness had vomited, we would have called a doctor, even if she had felt dizzy we would have called a doctor,” he said.
Seeing that Miryam had no health problems, investigators considered that Miryam had made the right statements. Damanik said that her statements matched those of other witnesses.
MAYA AYU PUSPITASARI