The Attorney General's Office Must Hunt Down The Assets Of The Defendant Asabri In Hong Kong, Singapore And The US

Boyamin Saiman MAKI (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - The Attorney General's Office has been asked to hunt down the assets of the defendants and the suspect in the Asabri mega-corruption, both at home and abroad. This is to maximize the return of state financial losses incurred.

This was conveyed by MAKI Coordinator Boyamin Saiman. According to him, it is time for the Investigation Team of the Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus) to track down assets that are suspected of being affiliated with a number of partners of the suspect and the accused.

"It used to be constrained by COVID-19, now it has subsided, it should be traceable, including abroad," said Boyamin when confirmed in Jakarta, reported by Antara, Monday, November 8.

Boyamin said that the sloping down of the COVID-19 case could be used by the Investigation Team of the Attorney General's Office to track assets to a number of countries suspected of being where the defendant or suspect committed money laundering.

"So we should be able to do it now, we can enter Hong Kong, Singapore including the United States. Now we can track it again so that (returning state losses) get maximum results," said Boyamin.

According to Boyamin, the investigative team must work hard again in thoroughly investigating the Asabri case, especially regarding the return of state losses which amounted to Rp22.78 trillion, so that anyone involved, whether managing or enjoying, can be suspected.

Boyamin mentioned that the name of the defendant Asabri appeared on the Forbes list of the richest people in Indonesia. This information needs to be investigated by the Attorney General's Office.

"There is the name of the defendant Asabri that appears in Forbes, the AGO must trace the information in Forbes regarding the assets of the defendant," said Boyamin.

Not only that, the trial of the Asabri corruption case at the Central Jakarta Corruption Court (Tipikor) also revealed a number of facts, including the defendant Heru Hidayat and his partners in a number of companies. Where there is a transaction allegedly for the benefit of the defendant with Asabri using both names.

Several partners seemed to be trying to avoid knowing about transactions using their names by providing information that changed so that there was information that the judge deemed unreasonable.

As stated by witness Wijaya Mulya, the President Director of one of the companies in the group of companies, Heru Hidayat, who revealed the facts about his identity in the stock transaction but without his knowledge.

Wijaya admitted that he was often offered account opening documents to be signed, which the secretary or OB (office boy) offered. But what surprised the chairman of the panel of judges was that Wijaya immediately signed the document without asking first.

The judge then questioned Wijaya's statement which was considered illogical, because he signed on the orders of OB.

There is a witness who is a partner and commissioner in several of Heru's companies who claimed that the documents were directly presented by Heru, but did not ask and did not know their identity, in fact they were used to transact with Asabri.

The existence of facts and information at trial should be an opening for the Attorney General's Office to investigate the partners involved if sufficient evidence is found.

"Anyway, whoever is suspected of being involved, there are two pieces of evidence, helping and enjoying the results, deserves to be named a suspect," said Boyamin.

It is possible, Boyamin continued, that investigators will take action against partners and people suspected of being involved by naming suspects and confiscating their assets.

"This concerns the return of the state so that it is maximized. So anyone suspected of being involved, let alone enjoying, must be brought to justice indiscriminately," said Boyamin.

Meanwhile, from the search, the name of Heru Hidayat, one of Asabri's defendants, was listed in the Forbes list of 100 richest people in Indonesia at the end of 2020.

According to Forbes records, Heru has a total wealth of USD 530 million, whereas in 2018, two years before the emergence of the Jiwasraya case (early 2020), his total wealth was only USD 440 million.

Another defendant, namely Benny Tjokrosaputro, whose total wealth according to Forbes in 2018, was USD 670 million US dollars, but in 2020 his name was no longer found on the list.

Launching the Forbes page, the determination of the list of the richest people in Indonesia uses the method of share ownership and financial information obtained from families and individuals, stock exchanges, annual reports, and analysts. The ranking lists individual and family wealth, including that shared among relatives.

Meanwhile, Benny Tjokcrosaputro and Heru Hidayat, apart from the defendants in the Asabri corruption case, are convicts in the PT Jiwasraya (Persero) corruption case.

In the Asabri case, currently eight defendants are undergoing trial at the Tipikor Court, Jakarta.

In August 2021, the AGO investigators again named one suspect, namely Teddy Tjokcrosaputro, who is the President Director of PT Rimo International Lestari Tbk, a partner as well as the younger brother of suspect Benny Tjokrosaputro as a shareholder of RIMO.

After Teddy, investigators again named three other suspects who also enjoyed the proceeds of corruption.

Then in September 2021, the AGO again named three new suspects, namely Edward Seky Soeryadjaya alias THS as an entrepreneur and former Director of Ortos Holding Ltd. Then, Bety Halim as the former President Commissioner of PT Energi Millenium Sekuritas, previously named PT Millennium Danatama Sekuritas.

The next suspect is Rennier Abdul Rachman Latief as Commissioner of PT Sekawan Inti Pratama.

These three suspects have the status of convicts and defendants in other cases or cases and have been detained in prisons and state detention centers.

In addition to individual suspects, the Attorney General's Office investigators also named 10 investment managers as corporate suspects in the Asabri case.

The ten suspected investment managers are PT IIM, PT MCM, PT PAAM, PT RAM, PT VAM. Then, PT ARK, PT. OMI, PT MAM, PT AAM, and PT CC.