KPK Delivers Files Of Two Social Assistance Corruption Bribes, Harry Sidabuke And Ardian Iskandar

JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) handed over case files belonging to Harry Sidabuke and Ardian Iskandar Maddanatja.

Both of them were bribes in the case of social assistance (bansos) that ensnared former Social Minister Juliari Peter Batubara.

"Today, February 16, KPK Prosecutor Yosi Andika Herlambang handed over the case files for the Defendant Harry Van Sidabukke and the Defendant Ardian Iskandar Maddanatja in the alleged corruption case related to social assistance of the Ministry of Social Affairs for the 2020 fiscal year to the Corruption Eradication Court, Central Jakarta," said Acting KPK Spokesman for Enforcement. Ali Fikri, through his written statement, Tuesday, February 16.

Subsequently, the detention of the two was transferred to the authority of the Central Jakarta Corruption Court.

After the case files of the two defendants have been submitted, now, the KPK prosecutors are just waiting for the decision of the panel of judges to preside over the trial and the determination of the first trial with an agenda for reading the indictment.

In this case, each of the defendants was charged with Article 5 paragraph (1) letter b of the Corruption Crime Law in conjunction with Article 64 paragraph (1) of the Indonesian Criminal Code or the second indictment of Article 13 of the Law on Corruption in conjunction with Article 64 paragraph (1 ) Criminal Code.

Previously, the KPK named a number of suspects in connection with the alleged corruption case of social assistance (bansos) food packages for the handling of COVID-19 in the Greater Jakarta area including the non-active Minister of Social Affairs Juliari Batubara.

Apart from Juliari, the KPK also named four other suspects, namely the Commitment Making Officer at the Ministry of Social Affairs (PPK) MJS and AW as recipients of bribes and AIM and HS as the givers of bribes.

This case began when Juliari appointed two commitment-making officials (PPK) Matheus Joko Santoso and Adi to carry out this project by directly appointing partners. The KPK suspects that it was agreed that there was a fee from the work package that partners had to pay to the Ministry of Social Affairs.

As for the fee for each COVID-19 social assistance package that Matheus and Adi agreed to, it was IDR 10,000 from a value of IDR 300 thousand.

Matheus and Adi then made work contracts with several suppliers as partners for providing social assistance in May-November 2020. The partners chosen were AIM, HS, and PT Rajawali Parama Indonesia alias PT RPI which allegedly belonged to Matheus and whose appointment was known to Juliari.

In the first phase of the distribution of social assistance, a fee of IDR 12 billion is suspected. Matheus gave around Rp. 8.2 billion in cash to Juliari through Adi which was then used to meet personal needs.

In this silent operation, the KPK also confiscated evidence in the form of money that had been prepared from the bribes, namely AIM and HS in one of the apartments in Jakarta and Bandung. Rp14.5 billion was kept in a number of suitcases and bags and consisted of rupiah denominations and foreign currency.