REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Former Minister of Justice and Human Rights Amir Syamsuddin said he did not take part in planning the project of passport electronic payment system (payment gateway), which is in the center of alleged corruption in the ministry in 2014.

Amir was investigated by police on Monday as witness in the corruption case with his former deputy Denny Indrayana as the suspect.

He said he knew about the Rp32 billion project only in June 2014 when he was asked to sign a ministerial regulation on the project.

"It was true I had to sign the ministerial regulation," he said after being grilled by the police's criminal detective body (Bareskrim)here on Monday.

He said he signed the regulation as he believed the report by the former Deputy Minister of Justice and Human Rights Denny Indrayana, that the project had been running well.

He said he never took part in meetings discussing the project.

"There were many meetings, which I never knew about and never attending," he said.

Monday's investigation was the third for Amir as a witness by Bareskrim, and so far only Denny Indrayana has been named a suspect.

Denny had been charged with abuse of power in the process of procuring the payment gateway.

Denny has continued to deny the charge saying the "payment gateway" program was designed to improve the quality of public service.

The law professor at the state Gajah Mada University is facing a jail term of maximum 20 years with a fine of up to Rp1 billion if found guilty.

Police launched investigations based on report from the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) in December, 2014 on suspicious flow of fund related to the project.

Police also received report on Dec. 10, 2014 indicating involvement of Denny Indrayana in the alleged corruption in the project when he was deputy minister for justice and human rights.

Ikuti Whatsapp Channel Republika