Hotma, who stood as witness in corruption case with suspects - former Director General of Population and Civil Registration Irman and former Director of Population Administration Information Management Sugiharto at the Ministry, said he returned via KPK the money, he understood earlier as official from the Ministry.
"Advocacy is a honorable profession (officium nobile). I did a honorable thing and receive fee for a honorable job. When I was investigated and was told that the fee was not from the Home Affairs Ministry and not honorable , I returned the money via KPK," he said.
Irman and Sugiharto have been arrested by KPK and are now facing trial as suspects for alleged corruption in Rp5.95 trillion government project of electronic identity (e-ID) card procurement case causing a loss of around Rp2.3 trillion trillions of rupiah in state fund.
Hotma told the court that Irman and Sugiharto, accompanied by former chairman of the Commission II of the Parliament Chaeruman Harahap came to him asking him to be their lawyers as officials of the Ministry and for that he was paid US$400,000 and Rp150 million.
"At that time tender was already held but a number of bidders losing in the tender protested and the ministry asked us to be their lawyers," he said.
However, the real case became to unfold itself with report to police and news conference held in protest of the result of the tender, he said.
"We then send letters to police, KPK and the mass media to explain that tender has been concluded and implementation of the project should not be hampered with protest and dispute," he said.
Hotma said at that time he believed the fee was paid by the Ministry to provide legal defense for government officials.
"In my understanding the payment was from the Home Affairs Ministry as we were to be the defense lawyers for the Director General with a payment of US$400,000 and Rp150 million. The Rp150 million are still in my office," he said.
KPK has also arrested and named a businessman suspect Andi Agustinus alias Andi Narogong, in the same case. A lawmaker Miryam S Haryani, was named suspect later on charge of perjury as she retracted in court her statement during her investigation by KPK.
The e-ID card case has drawn wide public attentions as it implicated a number of senior officials and former senior officials and more than 50 lawmakers and former lawmakers.
Public attention has been centered on the case over the past month with controversy raised by the House of Representative passing proposal for exercising inquiry right by a number of lawmakers against KPK, which was accused by some lawmaker of libel.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2017
