KPK: Corruptors No Longer Save the Results of Crimes in Banks but Use Crypto  

JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has begun to see a change in the pattern of perpetrators of corruption in hiding assets from crime. They are now beginning to use digital assets such as cryptocurrency.

"There are several things that then the way to store assets, the way to store money is no longer done conventionally, yes, it is no longer done by storage models, whether it is in a safe deposit box or then through banking or the financial services sector but using new ways through crypto," said KPK Chairman Setyo Budiyanto as quoted from the KPK RI YouTube, Monday, August 3.

To face this development, Setyo said, the anti-corruption commission has strengthened human resource capacity. Employees from the KPK's Enforcement and Execution Directorate and the KPK's Information and Data Directorate, he said, have attended training on the transformation of the financial services sector.

"We have sent or provided education, provided opportunities, especially in the Kedeputian Penindakan, then in the Kedeputian Information and Data and other deputities or work units to attend training, which is short and medium in nature, to understand about changes from the financial services sector," he explained.

This training is expected not to make the KPK then outdated. "When facing or responding to existing matters related to this," said Setyo, who also served as the KPK's Director of Investigation.

The anti-corruption commission is known to have revealed the use of trading accounts to receive money. This incident involves the former Secretary General of the MPR RI Ma'ruf Cahyono who allegedly received gratification worth Rp. 30 billion.

The KPK revealed that Ma'ruf received a trading account at one of the brokerage corporations with a value of IDR 14.4 billion. The giver was said to be a partner who won a work package in the General Secretariat (Setjen) of the MPR RI.

In addition, Ma'ruf is also suspected of opening a nominee account in the name of Fauzul Akhyar as a private party from PT Valbury Ecapital International which is a provider of office stationery (ATK) in the environment of the MPR RI General Secretariat. The money in it is said to have reached Rp. 16.4 billion in the 2021-2022 period.

Then, the KPK also revealed that there were other fee receipts made by Ma'ruf through his trusted person or directly up to Rp7 billion.

As a result of his actions, Ma'ruf is currently being held at the KPK Detention Center. He is considered to have never reported the gratification and cannot prove that the receipt was made from legitimate results.