KPK Suspects There Is an Attempt to Condition the Results of the BPK Audit by BJB Related to Advertising Procurement 

Acting Director of KPK Investigation Achmad Taufik Husein/PHOTO: Wardhany Tsa Tsia-VOI

JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) suspects that PT Bank Pembangunan Daerah Jawa Barat dan Banten Tbk or BJB (BJBR) has attempted to condition the results of the audit conducted by the Indonesian Financial Supervisory Board (BPK) related to the advertising procurement project.

Acting Director of KPK Investigation Achmad Taufik Husein said that this finding was obtained during the investigation process for alleged corruption in the procurement of advertisements for the 2021-2023 period. Conditioning is said to use non-budgeter funds managed by BJB's corporate secretary.

The non-budgeter funds come from the winning agency appointed directly to handle advertising procurement.

"There are indeed indications that Bank BJB has been found to audit its financial statements by the BPK," Taufik told reporters at a press conference at the KPK's Red and White building, Kuningan Persada, South Jakarta, quoted Tuesday, August 11.

"So one of them is that this non-budgeter fund is used by Bank BJB to handle the audit findings that were indicated to have been against the law," he continued.

Taufik ensured that the findings of the conditioning of the results of the BPK RI audit would be investigated by investigators. The process is said to use an existing investigative order (sprindik), namely regarding the investigation of alleged corruption in advertising procurement.

"But, we can't say it right now because it's still going on. So, we'll just wait and see what the development is like," he said.

As previously reported, the KPK has detained four suspects of alleged corruption in the procurement of advertisements at PT Bank Pembangunan Daerah Jawa Barat dan Banten Tbk or Bank BJB (BJBR). They are Widi Hartoto as the Head of the Change Management Office Division of Bank BJB as well as the former Head of the Corporate Secretary Division of Bank BJB 2020-2024; Ikin Asikin Dulmanan as the Director of PT Cakrawala Kreasi Mandiri & Owner of PT Antedja Muliatama (AM); Suhendrik as the Director of PT Wahana Semesta Bandung Express; and Elang Sophan Jaya Kusuma as Commissioner of PT Cipta Karya Sukses Bersama.

Meanwhile, Yuddy Renaldi as President Director of PT Bank BJB from 2019 to March 2025 has not been detained. He admitted that he was sick so he asked for a rescheduling.

In this case, the KPK said the suspects were suspected of causing losses to state finances of IDR 223.6 billion due to the difference in advertising payments to six advertising agencies. They also committed the first violation in relation to the provisional estimated price (HPS) which was determined to be not the value of the advertising procurement project but the percentage of the agency fee.

BJB's Corsec Division is also said to have made a Memo Request for Procurement of Agency Services to the General Division containing recommendations for three candidate providers by directing them to one of the service providers.

Then, the BJB Corsec Division made technical evaluation requirements after the submission of bids to win a certain provider. In fact, this is not allowed because the procurement requirements of agency services must be informed before the submission of bids.

Furthermore, the BJB Corsec Division also ordered the Procurement Committee not to verify the supplier's documents. This order is said to violate the rules.

As a result of their actions, the suspects were suspected of violating the provisions of Article 2 paragraph (1) or Article 3 of Law Number 31 of 1999 concerning the Eradication of Corruption Crimes as amended by Law Number 20 of 2001 concerning Amendments to Law Number 31 of 1999 concerning the Eradication of Corruption Crimes Jo. Article 55 paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code.