Jokowi hands over his Metallica guitar to KPK

Sita W.Dewi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Jakarta | Mon, May 06 2013, 5:19 PM

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Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo on Monday reported and handed over a guitar given to him by American heavy metal band Metallica to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to avoid a potential violation of the Corruption Law.
Metallica’s bass player Robert Trujillo gave the Ibanez bass guitar to the governor through promoter Jonathan Liu who planned to hold a Metallica concert in Jakarta later this year.
Trujillo hand wrote a personal message on the guitar, saying “Giving back! To Jokowi. Keep playing that cool funky bass."
Jokowi denied the guitar was a gratuity for the expedition of the concert permit issuance.
"It is like when a leader of another country pays a visit and gives me a souvenir. All good concerts should be approved […] because why not?" he said.
KPK gratuities director Giri Supradiono said everything given to a public official was potentially a gratuity.
"However, I have not yet decided whether the guitar was a form of a repayment," Giri told The Jakarta Post.
He added that the KPK would return the guitar to the governor once they determined that the guitar was not proven as compensation. (ebf)

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