Yudhoyono Denies Ties to PKS 'Queen Lobbyist' Bunda Putri
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono attempted to distance himself from "Queen Lobbyist" Bunda Putri in a rare public statement on Thursday, telling reporters that he never met the Prosperous Justice Party-affiliated lobbyist — a central figure in a party scandal involving the nation's beef import quotas.
"Nobody knows Bunda Putri," Yudhoyono told reporters at Halim Perdanakusuma airbase Thursday night. "One-hundred percent, no one knows [her]."
The president was responding to allegations made by disgraced Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) chair Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq during a court hearing at the Jakarta Anti-Corruption Court on Thursday. Luthfi implied that Yudhoyono and Bunda Putri enjoyed a cozy relationship and shared information about the inner workings of the Democratic Party's coalition.
"She knew about the cabinet reshuffle plan and many other pieces of [information]," Luthfi said.
Bunda Putri, whose real name is Non Saputri, was a relative unknown until the Islamist party became embroiled in a corruption case involving beef import quotas. She appears to wield great power behind the scenes, demanding Luthfi drive straight to her Pondok Indah home after the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) arrested aid Ahmad Fathanah with Rp 1 billion ($88,000) in beef bribes and a part-time sex worker in a Jakarta hotel.
Agriculture Minister Suswono also felt compelled to make a late-night visit to Bunda Putri's home. The KPK, referencing wiretapped phone conversations between Bunda Putri and several PKS party members, described her role as an influential broker and said the lobbyist's involvement may lead investigators to name high-powered suspects.
But so far, the KPK has struggled to explain Bunda Putri's exact connection to the beef import scandal.
"So far, we're still gathering evidence, including unraveling who Bunda Putri is and her role in this case," KPK deputy chairman Busyro Muqoddas told the Indonesian newspaper Tempo.
Regardless, the mention of her name was enough to send Yudhoyono into damage control. The president told reporters that although he rarely commented on ongoing corruption cases, he felt compelled to clarify his alleged relationship with Bunda Putri — denying the allegations outright.
"I checked whether she ever called me, but there's no [proof of communication]… She also never met me," Yudhoyono said.
The president then asked State Secretariat Minister Sudi Silalahi to summon Suswono to explain Bunda Putri's identity. The agriculture minister reportedly told Sudi that Bunda Putri was a lobbyist with ties to the fertilizer industry. She is also the wife of Hasanuddin Ibrahim, the Agriculture Ministry's director for horticulture.
Presidential connections or not, Bunda Putri appeared to have a great deal of knowledge about Yudhoyono's behind-the-scenes plans.
During Thursday's heading at the Anti-Corruption Court, Luthfi admitted in court that he once went to Bunda Putri's house in Pondok Indah, South Jakarta, to discuss a cabinet reshuffle. He described Bunda Putri as one of Yudhoyono's close aids who was familiar with the plan.
He said that he feared that the PKS' minister would be affected by the possible reorganization after his party openly opposed the government's decision to increase the price of subsidized fuel.
During an earlier court hearing, the KPK played a telephone conversation they had wiretapped on Jan. 28 between Ridwan Hakim — the son of PKS chief patron Hilmi Aminuddin — Luthfi and Bunda Putri.
Ridwan said that a minister had visited Bunda Putri's house before midnight, staying until 1 a.m.
In the conversation, Bunda Putri told Luthfi that she was upset because Suswono promised her that Fatan A. Rasyin, a close friend of hers, would be made domestic marketing director of the Agriculture Ministry but never came through. Fatan, however, was given another position by Suswono.
Bunda Putri also told Luthfi that she was meeting with Cabinet Secretary Dipo Alam and made known her position as a middleman between the PKS and Tim Penilai Akhir, an organization led by Vice President Boediono that decides on high-ranking ministry officials.
"I don't feel like taking care of the [TPA]," she said in the call. "So, in March, if there is a reshuffle, I will tell Pak Lurah [Yudhoyono] 'It's true what you told me about Pak Haji Susu [Suswono]. Just clear him out.'
"Bunda will do that, so it'll be safe," she continued in the third-person. "He [Suswono] asked me to manage him, so it's not only one person above him [that needs to be dealt with], but many. And this is only Fatan."
Bernaldi Kadir Djemat, the former son-in-law of Bunda Putri, told Detik Magazine that there were photos of her posing with high-ranking officials at her house to demonstrate to potential clients her credentials. One of the photos reportedly shows her posing with Yudhoyono and First lady Ani Yudhoyono.
M. Jusuf Rizal, the founder of the Blora Center, who supported Yudhoyono during the 2004 presidential election, said that Bunda Putri was an active campaign volunteer for Yudhoyono.
Little was known about Bunda Putri until earlier this month. She was born in Cilimus, Kuningan, West Java, and is the mother of Indonesian celebrity Peny Fernita Sari — a child of her first marriage to an unnamed Frenchman.
After divorcing her first husband, she married the chairman of the West Jakarta Land Agency, Lukman Hakim Kartasasmita.
After her second divorce she married Hasanuddin.
| Reply via web post | Reply to sender | Reply to group | Start a New Topic | Messages in this topic (1) |
to Subscribe via email :
batavia-news-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
----------------------------------------
VISIT Batavia News Blog
http://batavia-news-networks.blogspot.com/
----------------------------
You could be Earning Instant Cash Deposits
in the Next 30 Minutes
No harm to try - Please Click
http://tinyurl.com/bimagroup
--------------
No comments:
Post a Comment