President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said on Thursday evening that he respected and would not intervene in an ongoing investigation of a bribery case involving his brother in-law Arif Budi Sulistyo, currently underway at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

Jokowi said he respected the legal process and he was certain the antigraft body would be professional in handling the case despite Arif's ties with the President.

“Whenever someone does something wrong they should be legally processed,” Jokowi told reporters at the State Palace, adding that “we all respect the legal process [...] and I am sure that the KPK will work professionally in investigating the case.”

The indictment of businessman Ramapanicker Rajamohanan Nair, who was allegedly caught red-handed bribing middle-ranking tax official Handang Soekarno in November, has revealed the alleged role of Arif, who was the Jokowi family spokesperson during the 2014 presidential election, as a middleman in the case.

Arif is married to Jokowi’s youngest sister, Titik Relawati, and is the operational director of PT Rakabu Sejahtera—the flagship company of Jokowi’s extended family.

According to the indictment, Arif sought the help of his friend, Jakarta Special Tax Office head Muhammad Haniv, to resolve a tax problem his company had.

Haniv then allegedly connected Arif with Handang and Director General of Taxation Ken Dwijugiasteadi.

According to the indictment, Ken instructed his staff to write off the company's tax dues after allegedly meeting with Arif. Ken has been questioned as a witness in the case. (wit)

Source:
courtesy of THE JAKARTA POST

by Haeril Halim

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