Rachel Venya Escapes Prokes Violation Imprisonment, But Rp40 Million Bribery Case Awaits Her

Rachel Vennya (Source: Reno Esnir/Antara)

JAKARTA - Coordinator of the Indonesian Anti-Corruption Society (MAKI) Boyamin Saiman said that the alleged gift of Rp. 40 million from the Rachel Vennya program to the Soekarno-Hatta Airport protocol, Ovelina, must be investigated. Moreover, this money was given so that Rachel and her entourage did not need to quarantine according to the applicable rules.

"In the context of eradicating corruption, bribery must be taken care of, processed if it involves anyone," Boyamin told VOI, Saturday, December 11.

Boyamin said whether the money was returned or not, based on Ovelina's statement, had to be investigated. "In fact, if it is returned, it should be strong evidence that bribery has taken place," he said.

He then said that the giving of this money could be a form of bribery if it involved state officials or officials. However, if it is carried out by the general public, it can be included in the crime of illegal levies and enter into corrupt practices.

However, to clarify the allegations, the police must act, especially since there is a direct confession from Rachel Vennya.

"It must be tracked down, what level or institution does she (Ovelina, ed) serve. Is it a government institution related to legal functions or other functions," said Boyamin.

"The role of protocol is also being tracked. But whatever it is, it can be subject to bribery, illegal fees or whatever because in that context, they still take advantage of the process that should (Rachel Vennya, ed) carry out quarantine, so they don't," he added.

MAKI also regrets that no charges have been filed regarding the giving of this money. The judge's sentence, said Boyamin, was only limited to a violation of the Quarantine Law because of the demands that were made.

"So this should be, recipients of bribes or money are not only subject to articles on violating quarantine but also articles related to corruption," he said.

As previously reported, Rachel and her entourage claimed to have fled the quarantine center after returning from the United States because they felt uncomfortable. He felt that discomfort because he had previously performed a similar procedure after returning from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

He then admitted to paying Rp40 million in order to escape from the Pademangan Athlete's Wisma, Jakarta. The money was handed over to Ovelina who was later returned.

Meanwhile, Ovelina admitted that the Rp40 million was requested by the COVID-19 Task Force at Soekarno-Hatta Airport. Furthermore, the money was transferred by Rachel to the account of the COVID-19 Task Force officer named Cania before being received.

For his actions, he, along with his girlfriend, Salim Nauderer and his manager, Maulida Khairunnisa, were only sentenced to four months in prison with eight months probation for violating the quarantine law. In addition, he also did not serve a prison sentence.