Azis Syamsuddin Charged With Bribery Former KPK Investigator Robin Rp3,619 Billion

Former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Muhammad Azis Syamsuddin awaits the commencement of the trial for reading the indictments at the Jakarta Corruption Court (Tipikor), Monday (6/12/2021). ANTARA/Desca Lidya Natalia

JAKARTA - Former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Muhammad Azis Syamsuddin was charged with giving bribes worth Rp. 3.099 billion and US$36 thousand for a total of around Rp.3.619 billion to former KPK investigator Stepanus Robin Pattuju and advocate Maskur Husain related to the handling of the KPK investigation in Central Lampung.

"Muhammad Azis Syamsuddin has given money in stages totaling Rp3,099,887,000 and Singapore dollar 36 thousand to Stepanus Robin Pattuju as the KPK investigator and Maskur Husain with the intention of being assisted in managing the case involving the defendant and Aliza Gunado related to the KPK investigation in Central Lampung. ," said Public Prosecutor (JPU) Lie Putra Setiawan at the Jakarta Corruption Court (Tipikor), Monday, December 6.

Initially, the KPK investigated allegations of corruption in the form of accepting gifts or promises related to the management of the Special Allocation Fund (DAK) of the Central Lampung Regency Budget for the 2017 Fiscal Year since 8 October 2019 where it was suspected that Azis and Aliza Gunado were involved as bribe recipients.

Aliza Gunado is the former Deputy Chairperson of the PP Youth Forces of the Golkar Party (AMPG) who was once the Business Director of the Lampung Jasa Utama Regional Owned Enterprise (BUMD) as well as a confidant of Azis Syamsuddin.

"Knowing that he and Aliza Gunado were suspected of being the perpetrators of the corruption crime of receiving gifts related to the administration of the DAK APBN-P of Central Lampung Regency, the defendant then tried not to make himself and Aliza Gunado a suspect by the KPK, by seeking assistance from KPK investigators," added the prosecutor. Lie reported by Antara.

Azis then asked for the help of a member of the National Police, Agus Supriyadi, to be introduced to the KPK investigators, and Agus succeeded in introducing Azis to Stepanus Robin, who has been a KPK investigator since August 15, 2019, from the National Police.

Azis then met with Stepanus Robin at Azis' official residence in August 2020 to take care of the case involving Azis and Aliza related to the KPK investigation in Central Lampung.

Stepanus Robin and Maskur Husain expressed their willingness to help in exchange for a sum of Rp. 4 billion with a calculation of Rp. 2 billion each from Azis and Aliza Gunado, with an advance of Rp. 300 million and Azis agreed.

Azis gave the advance payment to Stepanus Robin and Maskur Husain, with the distribution of Stepanus Robin receiving Rp. 100 million and Maskur Husain receiving Rp. 200 million. The money was transferred from Azis' BCA account in four stages, each amounting to IDR 50 million, namely on 2, 3, 4 and 5 August 2020.

On August 5, 2020, Azis again gave 100 thousand US dollars in cash to Stepanus Robin at Azis' official residence on Jalan Denpasar Raya, South Jakarta. At that time, Stepanus Robin came between Agus Susanto.

"The money was shown by Stepanus Robin Pattuju to Agus Susanto when he was in the car and at the same time said that the defendant asked for the help of Stepanus Robin, which Agus Susanto understood regarding the defendant's case at the KPK," said the prosecutor.

Some of the US dollars that Azis gave, amounting to 36 thousand US dollars, were handed over to Maskur Husain in front of the Central Jakarta District Court, while the remaining 64 thousand US dollars were exchanged at a "money changer" using Agus Susanto's identity for a total of Rp 936 million.

Part of the money from the exchange was given to Maskur Husain of Rp. 300 million in early September 2020 at the Borero Keramat Sentiong restaurant.

In addition to this gift from August 2020 to March 2021, Azis also gave money to Stepanus Robin and Maskur Husain several times, the total amount being 171,900 Singapore dollars. Stepanus Robin then exchanged the money at a "money changer" using the identities of Agus Susanto and Rizky Cinde Awaliyah. (Stepanus Robin's friend) into rupiah in the amount of IDR 1,863,887,000.

Some of the money was then given to Maskur Husain, namely in early September 202 in the amount of IDR 1 billion and IDR 800 million still in September 2020.

For his actions, Azis was threatened with criminal under article 5 paragraph 1 letter a or article 13 of Law no. 31 of 1999 as amended by Law no. 20 of 2001 concerning the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption in conjunction with Article 64 paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code.

The article stipulates that people who give gifts or promises to civil servants or state officials who receive gifts or promises can be sentenced to a minimum of 1 year and a maximum of 5 years and a minimum fine of IDR 50 million and a maximum of IDR 250 million.

Against the indictment, Azis Syamsuddin did not file a memorandum of objection (exception) so the trial will continue on Monday, December 13.