The Amount Of Money Found By The KPK Related To The Alleged Bribery Of New Students At Unila Reached IDR 2.5 Billion

The KPK Investigative Team searched the luxury home of the suspected inactive Chancellor of the University of Lampung Karomani in Bandarlampung/Via ANTARA

JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) revealed the amount of money found when searching two houses in the Lampung area reached IDR 2.5 billion. This search was carried out on Wednesday, August 24 yesterday.

Head of the KPK News Section Ali Fikri said the money was allegedly related to the alleged bribery of accepting new students who ensnared the inactive Chancellor of the University of Lampung Karomani.

"Regarding the amount of money found during the search process at the residence of the KRM suspect as well as other related parties, the investigative team managed to secure cash totaling IDR 2.5 billion," Ali said in a written statement, Thursday, August 25.

The total money consists of denominations of rupiah, Singapore dollars and euros. Ali said the money would be analyzed and confiscated.

Together with other evidence, he continued, the money will be confirmed against witnesses and suspects. It is hoped that these findings will shed light on the imprecise practice that Karomani and his colleagues have carried out.

"We will analyze and immediately confiscate it as evidence which will later be re-confirmed to the witnesses and suspects that we examine in this investigation process," he said.

Previously reported, the KPK named four suspects for alleged bribery of accepting new students at the University of Lampung in 2022. The determination of these suspects began with arrest operations carried out in Lampung, Bandung and Bali.

The suspects involved in this case are the Chancellor of the University of Lampung 2020-2024 Karomani; Vice Chancellor I for Academic Affairs, University of Lampung Heryandi; Chairman of the Senate of the University of Lampung Muhammad Basri; and private Andi Desfiandi.

In this case, Karomani is suspected of setting the price for prospective new students at his campus in the range of Rp. 100 million to Rp. 350 million when carrying out the Independent Selection for Entrance to the University of Lampung (Simanila). This request was made after Heryandi and Muhammad Basri personally selected the student's parents' ability to pay.

One of the families of the prospective Simanila participants, Andi, then took the initiative to pay after his family was accepted as a student because of Karomani's assistance. He then handed over Rp150 million in cash in Lampung which was taken by a lecturer, namely Mualimin.

From his actions, Karomani allegedly managed to collect Rp603 million from Mualimin which was then used for personal purposes amounting to Rp575 million.

Meanwhile, from Muhammad Basri and Budi Sutomo who are Head of the Planning and Public Relations Bureau at the University of Lampung, it is suspected that the total money received by Karomani reached Rp. 4.4 billion. This money is then transferred to savings deposits, gold bars, and some are still in cash.