Jokowi Responds Johnny G Plate Becomes A Corruption Suspect: We Must Respect The Legal Process, The AGO Must Be Professional

President Joko Widodo gave a statement to reporters at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base, Jakarta, Friday (19/5/2023). (ANTARA/Gilang Galiartha)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo believes the Attorney General's Office will work professionally and openly in handling cases involving the Minister of Communication and Information Johnny G. Plate as a suspect.

Therefore, President Jokowi emphasized that the government respects the ongoing legal process.

"Yes, we respect, we must respect the existing legal process," said Jokowi at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base, Jakarta, as reported by ANTARA, Friday, May 19.

President Jokowi also dismissed the notion of political intervention in the case, considering that Johnny Plate is the Secretary General of the NasDem Party. Jokowi emphasized that the AGO would work professionally and openly.

"What is clear is that the Attorney General's Office must be professional and open to all related to the case," said Jokowi.

The Head of State added that as long as Johnny Plate underwent the legal process, the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD would serve as Acting (Plt) of the Minister of Communication and Information.

Previously, Mahfud MD also stated that he would pay close attention to and oversee the case involving Johnny Plate as a suspect.

"Be sure and just wait for the judicial process for the case faced by Mr. Plate. As Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, I will continue to monitor and oversee," Mahfud said in an upload on his official Instagram social media account, @mohmahfudmd, on Wednesday (17/5) night.

Investigators of the Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus) at the AGO, Wednesday (17/5), named Johnny G. Plate as a suspect in the alleged corruption case in the BTS BAKTI procurement project of the Ministry of Communication and Information for the 2020-2022 period.

The head of the Legal Information Center (Kapuspenkum) at the Attorney General's Office, Ketut Sumedana, announced that the suspect conveyed that the state losses due to corruption reached Rp8.32 trillion.

Apart from Johnny Plate, the AGO named five other suspects in the case, namely the President Director of BAKTI Kemenkominfo Anang Achmas Latif (AAL), President Director of PT Mora Telematika Indonesia Gapok Menak (GMS), expert human development expert at the University of Indonesia in 2020 Yohan Suryanto (YS), Mukti Ali (MA) from PT Huawei Technology Investment, and Commissioner of PT Solitchmedia Synergy Irwan Hermawan (IH).

The files of three suspects, namely AAL, GMS, and YS, have been transferred to phase II by investigators from the Junior Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus) at the Indonesian Attorney General's Office to the South Jakarta District Attorney's (JPU) on May 2, 2023, for immediate trial at the Corruption Court, Central Jakarta.

Meanwhile, the other two suspects are still in the filing process.