The Suspect of Alleged Social Aid Corruption, Juliari Batubara, Is Going to Celebrate Christmas at the Detention Center

Minister of Social Affairs Juliari Batubara (Source: Special)

JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) detained Social Minister, Juliari Peter Batubara (JPB). The detention was carried out at the KPK building for the next 20 days. It means that Juliari will be transferred to the detention center right on Christmas day.

KPK Chairman, Firli Bahuri, said that after a series of witness examinations, they found sufficient preliminary evidence. Then, investigators concluded that the JPB and Adi Wahyono (AW) should be suspected of committing corruption.

"For investigations, the KPK detained the suspects for 20 days from December 6, 2020, to December 25, 2020. JPB was detained at the KPK Prison Pomdam Jaya Guntur branch," he said at a press conference at the KPK's Red and White Building, Kuningan, South Jakarta, Sunday, December 6.

Furthermore, Firli said AW will be detained at the Central Jakarta Police Detention Center. JPB and AW are not detained in the same detention center. The two suspects will undergo COVID-19 health tests.

"As a health protocol for the prevention of COVID-19, detainees will be isolated independently for 14 days at the KPK branch detention center at the ACLC KPK building in Lot C1," he said.

As is known, JPB surrendered to KPK, on December 6, at around 02.50 WIB, after previously being a fugitive. Then, on the same day, the suspect AW surrendered at 09.00 WIB.

So far, there are five suspects in this corruption case. They are Juliari, MJS, and AW, as the commitment making officials at the Ministry of Social Affairs, named as suspects for receiving bribes. Then, the suspects AIM and HS as the bribes.

This case began with the procurement of basic food packages as social assistance for handling COVID-19 with a total of 272 contracts worth IDR 5.9 trillion, which were implemented over two periods. The KPK said that the fee for each Bansos package was agreed upon by MJS and AW of IDR 10,000 per food package, of a value of IDR 300 thousand per social assistance package.

Furthermore, MJS and AW made work contracts from May to November 2020 with several suppliers as partners, including AIM, HS, and also PT RPI (Rajawali Parama Indonesia), which allegedly belonged to MJS.

Regarding the corruption of the COVID-19 social assistance arrest, the KPK then confiscated the money that had been prepared from the bribes, namely AIM and HS, in one of the apartments in Jakarta and Bandung. As much as IDR 14.5 billion was kept in several suitcases and bags.

"Previously, AIM and HS had prepared money in one of the apartments in Jakarta and in Bandung, which was stored in 7 suitcases, 3 backpacks and a small envelope, which amounted to around IDR 14.5 billion," said KPK Chairman, Firli Bahuri, at a press conference in the KPK building, December 6.

From the COVID-19 social assistance corruption OTT, they found money in rupiah and foreign currency. "Each of them is around IDR 11.9 billion, around USD 171.085 (equivalent to IDR 2.420 billion) and SGD 23,000 (equivalent to IDR 243 million)," said Firli.