Deputy Chairperson Of The KPK Johanis Tanak Will Be Tried For Ethics Because He Removed WhatsApp Chats

Member of the KPK Supervisory Board Albertina Ho at the KPK Jakarta Building (Tsa Tsia)

JAKARTA - The Supervisory Board of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) stated that the alleged communication between the Deputy Chairperson of the KPK Johanis Tanak and the Acting Director General of Mineral and Coal at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Idris Froyoto Siites would be tried ethically.

"The supervisory board found communication between JT and Sihlee's brother and on March 27, 2023 after JT's brother served as KPK leader," said KPK Supervisory Board member Albertina Ho to reporters at a press conference at the KPK Building C1, Rasuna Said, South Jakarta, Monday, June 19.

The allegation was decided to be tried ethically because Johanis did not want to give the cell phone used to contact Idris. In fact, the team will conduct an examination whether or not there is a second conversation.

Albertina said this examination was carried out because there were three deleted chats on March 27. "JT refused," he said.

The KPK Council found out that three messages were deleted after receiving a report from the Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) regarding his communication with Idris.

In this allegation, there are 10 people from the internal and external anti-corruption commission who have been questioned. However, additional examinations will be carried out.

"Before being continued to the ethics trial, several additional examinations are still needed," said Albertina.

As previously reported, the photo containing a conversation between Johanis Tanak and Plh, Director General of Mineral and Coal, Idris Sihete, was in the spotlight after being uploaded to an anonymous Twitter account, @dimdim0783. There are several screenshots, one of which is discussing work and there is the phrase 'behind the screen'.

Not only that, this account also revealed that there was a discussion about the Mining Business License (IUP). Responding to this, Johanis Tanak said the conversation took place before he was appointed as a leader.

He admitted that he was already friends with Idris when he was still together at the Prosecutor's Office. Johanis also admitted that he did not know that his interlocutor had become the Acting Director General of Mineral and Coal because previously he served as Head of Legal Bureau at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.

"I contacted him because I was just before retirement, how many months left for me to retire. If I continue to retire, what should I do, so how can there be new activities," said Tanak when contacted by VOI, Wednesday, April 12 evening.

Tanak also explained the intention of playing behind the scenes as stated in the message circulating. It has nothing to do with the KPK.

"That I have no other intention behind the scenes because I am active at the prosecutor's office in a few months and retire, so I can have activities when I retire,"

"That's why I said, who knows Pak Idris has a job that I can do. I will leave it to my friends. I will help correct the agreement related to business law. The concept of a private company's agreement or advice," said Tanak.

As for the conversation that discussed the IUP, Johanis suspected that engineering had occurred. He felt he had never been in touch with Idris on February 24.

Even if there is a discussion regarding the IUP, he said it is not related to the ongoing case at the KPK. "I swear, I didn't know that he was already the Acting Director General whom I knew was the Head of the Legal Bureau of Energy and Mineral Resources," he said.

"Even if there was a chat with me with him in February, at that time there was no investigation order against him (Idris Sisite, ed). If there was an investigation against him, which way could be that stupid for me to chat," concluded Johanis.