Former Forestry Minister Interrogated Over Land Conversion Graft Case

Pekanbaru, Riau, (Antarariau.com) - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) will interrogate former forestry minister Zulkifli Hasan as a witness in an alleged corruption case related to the issuance of land-conversion permits in Riau province on Monday.

"According to the investigation schedule, Zulkifli Hasan will be questioned as a witness in the case against AM," KPK spokesman Johan Budi stated on Monday afternoon, referring to the suspended Riau governor who has been named a suspect in the graft case.

Johan revealed that the KPK is also set to question Bambang Subianto, the director general of planology of the forestry ministry, on Monday.

"As usual, the questioning will start at 10.00 a.m. local time," he noted.

On September 6, 2014, the KPK named AM a suspect for allegedly accepting bribe worth Rp2 billion to issue permits to convert 140 hectares of forest land into palm oil plantations in Kuantan Singingi district of Riau province.

The anti-graft body has also named businessman and chairman of the Riau Chapter of the Indonesian Oil Palm Farmers Association, identified by the initials GMEM, as a suspect for allegedly bribing AM.

AM is charged with violating Article 12(a) or 12(b) of the anticorruption law, while GMEM is charged with violating Article 5, paragraph (1), letter a or b or Article 13 of the law.

They were named suspects in the case after the KPK investigators caught AM red handed at his residence in the Citra Grand Housing Complex in Cibubur, East Jakarta, on September 25, 2014.

Eight people were caught red handed in the search conducted on the house but only two of them were named suspects.

In connection with the same case, the KPK had also earlier questioned several witnesses in the Riau provincial capital of Pekanbaru, one of which was Acting Riau Governor Arsyadjuliandi Rachman.

The KPK has also interrogated several local officials, including Chief of the plantation office Zulber, and Chairul Rizki, the chief of the archives and library board.