Ekip
14 February 2017•Update: 14 February 2017
By Ainur Rohmah
TUBAN, Indonesia
Police will investigate the allegations made by a former head of an anti-corruption body who has accused an ex-president of being involved in the murder of a businessman in 2009, a police official announced Tuesday.
Martinus Sitompul, police spokesman, said authorities will investigate whether there are any criminal grounds in the claims.
In 2010, Corruption Eradication Commission Chairman Antasari Azhar was convicted and sentenced to 18 years in prison for killing a businessman in 2009. However, Azhar was released from prison last month after he received a pardon from President Joko Widodo.
Following his release, Azhar accused former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of being the mastermind behind the killing.
The murder took place when authorities were investigating alleged corruption of Yudhoyono's in-laws.
Speaking at a press conference in the capital Jakarta on Tuesday, Azhar said: "I beg him [Yudhoyono] to explain what he did, if he ordered anyone to do anything, I beg Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to be honest and be open to the public," according to local media metrotvnews.com.
Azhar urge police to question more people in the case and clear his name. "To clear my name, I ask the police to seriously deal with this. I ask everyone involved to be held responsible," he said.
Yudhoyono has denied all allegations, saying he was going to take legal action to defend himself.
"Antasari accusation that seemed to me as the initiator of the case, is clearly not true. I would definitely take legal action against Antasari," the former president tweeted via his account @SBYudhoyono Tuesday.
He also said the allegations were an attempt to destroy credibility of his son Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, who was running for in the elections for Jakarta’s governorship.
