KPK Seizes 17 Cars From Ratu Atut’s Brother

Jakarta Globe, Rizky Amelia, January 28, 2014

Wawan’s mansion on Jalan Denpasar IV in Kuningan, Central Jakarta was
 deserted on Tuesday afternoon, the day after the KPK confiscated 17 cars
from the money-laundering suspect. (JG Photo/Benjamin Soloway)

Money-laundering suspect Tubagus “Wawan” Chaeri Wardana — the brother of detained corruption suspect Banten governor Ratu Atut Chosiyah — had his fleet of 17 cars confiscated by anti-corruption investigators on Monday and Tuesday morning.

“At the moment, there have been 17 cars confiscated including some luxury cars such as a Lamborghini [Aventador], a Ferrari, a Bentley and a Rolls-Royce,” Bambang Widjojanto, deputy chairman of the commission, said on Tuesday.

Investigators began their search on Monday afternoon at Wawan’s two houses on lanes off Jalan Denpasar, a Kuningan, South Jakarta thoroughfare known for its hellish traffic bottleneck and exorbitant property prices; the street counts the Singapore embassy among its tenants.

Both properties, one large, the other mammoth, were deserted by Tuesday afternoon. Curtains were drawn, no lights were on, guard posts were left unmanned and there were no cars in sight. The larger of the two properties had a four-car garage — a rarity in Jakarta.

The KPK also searched at least five other addresses, including the office of Wawan’s wife, South Tangerang Mayor Airin Rachmi Diany; his employee Yayan Rodiah’s houses in Grand Serang Asri and Griya Serang Asri; and two houses in Taman Graha Asri, Serang, owned by another employee, Dadang Prijatna.

The commission confiscated a Harley Davidson motorcycle and three cars from the Kuningan addresses: a Toyota Land Cruiser, a Nissan GTR and a Lexus Sedan. A Honda motorbike remained in front of the smaller of the houses on Tuesday.

KPK spokesman Johan Budi said the other ten cars confiscated included two Mitsubishi Pajeros, a BMW, a Honda Freed, three Toyota Kijang Innovas, a Toyota Avanza, a Ford Fiesta and a Toyota Fortuner.

Four luxury cars were confiscated from a warehouse in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, Budi said.

“They were found in various places, even in a warehouse, but the most important thing is they have been found,” Bambang said. He would not comment on the commission’s view of the possibility that Wawan kept vehicles in a warehouse to conceal the extent of his assets.

Maqdir Ismail, Wawan’s lawyer, denied that the cars were hidden — he said they had been repossessed by a leasing company because his client was unable to pay.

The cars were parked on Tuesday at the KPK headquarters in Jakarta. Aside from the vehicles, the KPK also confiscated documents detailing Wawan’s assets.

Wawan has been named a money laundering suspect in two cases: the rigging of medical equipment contracts and attempting to corrupt the country’s democratic system by exchanging billions of rupiah in bribes for a favorable ruling in a disputed election in Lebak district, Banten.

Benjamin Soloway contributed reporting

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