Corruption Of Social Assistance Ministry Of Social Affairs, KPK Investigate Rice Distribution In Banten And NTT

KPK (ANTARA) building

JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is investigating the distribution process of social assistance rice (bansos) for beneficiary families (KPM) in the Family Hope Program (PKH) at the Ministry of Social Affairs (Kemensos). This effort was carried out by examining eight witnesses on Wednesday, March 15.

"Witnesses were present and their knowledge was explored, among others, related to the distribution of rice social assistance for KPM PKH from 2020 to 2021 at the Indonesian Ministry of Social Affairs in Banten Province and NTT Province," said Head of the KPK News Section Ali Fikri in a written statement, Thursday, March 16.

Eight witnesses were examined in different places. At the Serang Police, Banten, investigators examined two PKH assistants Nurul Falah Citra and Ida Roswita Hasan, former PKH Assistant Coordinator Serang Hikatussobri and former Tangerang Regency Coordinator Muhidin.

Meanwhile, at the NTT BPKP Office, the anti-corruption commission examined two PKH assistants Kristianus Karo and Erti Vertiana Selan, Supervisor Distribution of PT BGR Kupang Muchtar Djamaluddin and Coordinator of Region 1 PKH NTT Polikarpus Meo Teko.

Ali did not specify the distribution process. However, the eight witnesses are believed to know about allegations of corruption that caused state losses of up to hundreds of billions of rupiah.

Previously reported, the KPK is currently investigating allegations of corruption in the distribution of rice social assistance at the Ministry of Social Affairs. This criminal incident allegedly occurred around 2020-2021.

Although it has not been announced who the suspects are, the former Director of PT Transjakarta M. Kuncoro Wibowo is reportedly also entangled. He has been prevented from leaving the country by the Directorate General of Immigration at the Ministry of Law and Human Rights for six months until next August.

Apart from Kuncoro, the anti-corruption commission also asked five other people to be prevented. It is reported that they were also named suspects.

Those prevented were Budi Susanto, April Chuniawan, Ivo Wongkaren, Roni Ramdani, and Richard Cahyanto. Kuncoro, Budi, and April are parties of PT Bhanda Ghara Reksa (BGR) while the rest come from PT Primalayan Teknologi Persada.

Meanwhile, PT BGR is one of the distributors of the social assistance for rice for the Ministry of Social Affairs program. The state-owned company has the task of distributing 222,070,230 kilograms of rice social assistance from the Ministry of Social Affairs to 4,934,894 families of PKH program beneficiaries in the country.