Former BUMN Bank Employee Sentenced To 3 Years In Prison For Distributing Counterfeit Money

Two defendants in the case of the circulation of counterfeit money, respectively Kamarang and Irfandi MT, were sentenced to various sentences by the Panel of Judges at the Sungguminasa Class I District Court, Gowa Regency, South Sulawesi, Wednesday, September 3.

"Sentenced the defendant one, Kamarung Daeng Ngati, to imprisonment for one year and six months. And the defendant two Irfandy MT alias Fandy is sentenced to three years in prison," said Chief Judge Dyan Martha Budhinugraeny as quoted by ANTARA.

In addition to passing the verdict, Chief Justice Dyan Martha was accompanied by two judges, Yenny Wahyuningtyas and Syahbuddin, who also fined the two defendants Rp50 million each.

With the condition that if the fine is not paid or not replaced, it will be replaced with imprisonment for 1 month each.

The panel also stipulates that the terms of arrest and detention that the defendants have served are reduced entirely from the crimes imposed and the defendants remain in detention.

The actions of the defendants violated Article 36 paragraph (3) Juncto Article 26 paragraph (3) of Law No. 7 of 2011 concerning Currency, jucnto Article 55 paragraph (1) 1st of the Criminal Code.

On this decision, the defendant Kamarung stated that he accepted the verdict. Meanwhile, Irfandi expressed his thoughts and would consult his legal adviser.

However, the defendant Kamarang's decision was lower than the demands of the Public Prosecutor (JPU) of the Gowa District Attorney, namely 3 years in prison.

Meanwhile, Irfandi MT, a former BUMN Bank employee, was still sentenced to 3 years in prison in accordance with the prosecutor's demands to the person concerned.

Previously, the Public Prosecutor's Office of Gowa Aria Perkasa had charged two defendants Kamarang and Irfandy to be legally and convincingly proven guilty of imprisonment of 3 years minus a prison term and a fine of IDR 50 million.

The role of the defendant Kamarung in this case received the counterfeit money from the defendant Mubin. He bought the counterfeit money for Rp. 8 million in exchange for Rp. 18 million.

Kamanang was arrested by Pallangga Police officers at the end of December 2024 on the report of Mitra BRI Link when he was about to pay his motorbike installments of Rp. 1 million with counterfeit Rp. 100,000 denominations.

Meanwhile, the defendant Irfandy MT at that time was still an employee of Bank BUMN acting as an intermediary and dealer of counterfeit money. He dared to spend the counterfeit money worth Rp. 6 million at the Makassar City mall, until he was caught and then arrested by the police.

The creation and circulation of counterfeit money syndicates involves 15 people, ranging from the Head of the UIN Alauddin Campus Library, ASN, ASN teachers, cooks, honorary employees, BUMN Bank employees to businessmen as well as politicians as the masterminds of the upal case.