Indonesia: Interpol seeks former treasurer Nazaruddin for bribery allegations

[News_Editor]

Indonesia: Interpol seeks former treasurer Nazaruddin for bribery allegations

2011-07-07 21:38:15 GMT+7 (ICT)

JAKARTA, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) -- Indonesian National Police and Interpol are still trying to locate the whereabouts of Muhammed Nazaruddin, who is accused of accepting bribes worth almost $3 million, officials said Thursday.

National Police Chief General Police Timur Pradopo told Antara news agency that authorities were 'doing their best' to bring Nazaruddin, 32, back to Indonesia. The former treasurer of the governing Democratic Party was officially named a suspect late June in a bribery case involving an athletes' village project in Jakabaring, Palembang. The Interpol has listed him in its Red Notice list to seek his arrest or provisional arrest with a view to extradition.

Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) officials previously requested a travel ban on Nazaruddin, but he fled to Singapore on May 23, a day before the directorate general of immigration at the Law and Human Rights Ministry issued the ban. He claimed to have traveled for a medical check-up, but his whereabouts have been unknown ever since.

Singapore's Foreign Affairs Ministry, meanwhile, recently stated that Nazaruddin was not in the country and had not been there for some time, adding that information was conveyed to the Indonesian authorities several weeks ago, long before he was named a suspect by the KPK.

"Singapore has always been willing to cooperate with Indonesian law enforcement authorities on this and other cases, but since Mr. Nazaruddin had not been charged with any crime or even named as a suspect at the time he was in Singapore and had a valid Indonesian passport, there was no reason to stop him from entering or leaving the country," the ministry's spokesman stated.

The spokesman added that the ministry had no information regarding Nazaruddin's whereabouts, saying that the question of extradition did not arise, as he had not been charged with any crime or even named as a suspect during his time in Singapore.

Nazaruddin allegedly accepted Rp 25 billion rupiah ($2.9 million) from a company that won a contract for athlete housing at the South East Asian Games, which will be held in Indonesia in November.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-07-07