President Prabowo Asked to Protect Toll Concession Corruption Allegation Whistleblower

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Anti-Corruption Committee (KAKI) sent an open letter to President Prabowo Subianto to ask for legal protection for KAKI Secretary General Anshor, who has been named a suspect by the Cyber Crime Directorate (Dittipidsiber) of the Metro Jaya Police.

Anshor's lawyer, Rustam, said the letter was sent on Tuesday, July 21. In addition to the President, a similar letter was also delivered to a number of law enforcement and supervisory agencies.

"Sending a letter to the National Police, the Attorney General, the Criminal Investigation Unit, the DPR, and also making a report to the KPK," said Rustam to reporters quoted on Thursday, July 23.

Through this step, his party hopes that the legal process against Anshor will be stopped. Rustam explained that the case that ensnared his client began with a police report from toll road entrepreneur Jusuf Hamka.

So, KAKI asks President Prabowo to protect the community and anti-corruption activists who convey alleged irregularities.

In addition, the organization asked the President to instruct the Attorney General's Office and the National Police to investigate alleged violations in the transparent extension of toll road concessions.

KAKI also requested that the investigation process against Anshor be reviewed again until it is stopped if no valid criminal basis is found.

Not only that, KAKI asked the government to cancel the extension of the Cawang-Tanjung Priok-Ancol-Pluit Toll Road concession granted to PT Citra Marga Nusaphala Persada Tbk (CMNP) together with its Singaporean partner because it was considered contrary to legal provisions.

The open letter was also sent to the Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives, Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, the head of Commission III of the House of Representatives, the Minister of State Secretary, the Cabinet Secretary, the Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs, the Attorney General, the National Police Chief, and the National Police Commission (Kompolnas).

"Our hope is that the investigators of the Metro Jaya Police will stop the case by issuing a SP3 letter," said Rustam.

Previously, KAKI said the report on the extension of the Cawang-Tanjung Priok-Ancol-Pluit Toll Road concession, which was submitted to the Attorney General's Office, was related to the organization's activities in overseeing alleged irregularities.

KAKI found that the extension of the concession was carried out without an audit as stipulated in Government Regulation Number 27 of 2014. In addition, Anshor in his report said that the process did not go through an open tender mechanism and was suspected of being contrary to Law Number 38 of 2004 concerning Roads.

The original concession period ends in 2024. However, the concession has been extended since 2022 to 2060 on the grounds of policies to handle the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The extension without tender has the potential to harm the country up to trillions of rupiah," said Anshor.

He admitted that he was surprised at his designation as a suspect. According to him, all the information provided was part of the public oversight function of state asset management.

Anshor emphasized that KAKI's activities aim to encourage transparency in business relations between the state and the private sector.

"We want a clean government and free of corruption," he said.