KPK TEAM VISITS YUDHOYONO FOR WEALTH CLARIFICATION

Jakarta, May 19 (ANTARA) - A team from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), led by Eko Tjiptadi, visited presidential hopeful Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at his residence in Cikeas, Bogor, on Tuesday.

Tjiptadi said the team was at Yudhoyono's residence for two hours from 10 a.m. to ask for clarifications on the wealth report of the presidential aspirant from the Democratic Party.

But Yudhoyono and his wife were not at home in Cikeas during the presence of KPK team because they were at the State Palace at the same time to receive the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, and his wife, Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned.

"There is no problem with Yudhoyono's absence at home because we just wanted a clarification on his possessions and to refer it to the wealth report the incumbent president made recently," Eko Tjiptadi said.

He said Yudhoyono as president reported his wealth to the KPK the last time on July 2, 2007 and he was recorded to have a material assets worth Rp7,144 billion and US$44,887.

Tjiptadi said President Yudhoyono should again report his wealth because he would run in the July 8 presidential election for his second term.

According to article 5 and 14 in the Law on presidential election, the presidential and vice presidential candidates should report their wealth to the KPK before the election.

After the candidates reported it, the KPK should go to their houses to make clarification with what had been reported.

To date the three pairs of presidential and vice presidential aspirants namely Jusuf Kalla-Wiranto, Megawati Soekarnputri-Prabowo Subianto, and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono-Boediono had reported their wealth to KPK.

Based on the tentative report which has yet to be clarified by the KPK, Prabowo Subianto is the richest candidate with Rp1.7 trillion in assets and Rp28 billion in cash , a number of motor vehicles, and assets in Argentine and France.