Rachel Vennyya's Recognition Of Giving Rp. 40 Million So That She Won't Be Quarantined Should Be Investigated

Rachel Vennya at Polda Metro Jaya, Monday, November 1 (Rizky Adytia Pramana/VOI)

JAKARTA - Celebrity Rachel Vennya admitted to paying Rp40 million to Ovelina, which is a protocol for Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Tangerang. The payment is intended to prevent him, his girlfriend Salim Nauderer and his manager Maulida Khairunnisa from having to go into quarantine after arriving from the United States.

In response to this, the Coordinator of the Indonesian Anti-Corruption Society (MAKI) Boyamin Saiman said the alleged giving of tens of millions of rupiah must be investigated. Moreover, the money was intended so that Rachel and her entourage did not need to quarantine according to applicable regulations.

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

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, 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.

Boyamin also regrets why 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.

Meanwhile, a legal expert from Trisakti University Abdul Fickar Hadjar said the verdict handed down in the judicial process certainly refers to the charges or demands of the public prosecutor.

Judges, he said, should not exceed what is demanded, let alone impose articles and provisions that were not indicted because the resulting decision could be null and void by law. So, from the start, the fact of giving bribes or payments should be included in the indictment.

"(The provision of Rp40 million, ed) can be decided by a court judge because the court only decides what the public prosecutor has indicted and demanded," said Fickar.

Furthermore, Fickar said that if Rachel's bribe or gift to Ovelina was not included in the police investigation report (BAP), it should raise questions.

"Does the police report contain a bribery article? If there are (but, red) prosecutors who do not charge it, it is reasonable to suspect that there is something wrong.

"Why (the giving of money, ed) is not included in the bribery case, maybe there is something wrong. If there is evidence, it should be processed," added Fickar.

For information, Rachel admitted to running away from the quarantine center because she felt uncomfortable. This, he said, had been felt after carrying out the same 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.