In Addition To Confiscating Rp. 52.3 Billion From Benur Bribes, The KPK Is Also Investigating Private Parties

Illustration (Pixabay)

JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) summoned and presented the private sector as a witness when confiscating Rp52.3 billion in cash. This summons and confiscation were carried out to investigate the bribery case for the export of fries or lobster seeds that ensnared the former Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) Edhy Prabowo.

The summons for the private sector were carried out on Monday, March 15 yesterday.

"Hebrin Yanke, private, was summoned and presented in the process of confiscating a total of Rp52.3 billion in cash," said Acting KPK spokesperson for prosecution Ali Fikri in a written statement, Tuesday, March 16.

The confiscated tens of billions of rupiah was thought to have come from a number of exporters who obtained permission to export fries or lobster seeds at the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries in 2020.

As previously reported, the Rp 52.3 billion was suspected as bank collateral. The anti-corruption commission suspected that at that time Edhy Prabowo as the former Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries ordered the Secretary General of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Antam Novambar to make a written order.

Ali said this letter was related to the withdrawal of bank guarantees from exporters to the Head of the Fish Quarantine, Quality Control and Fishery Product Safety Agency (BKIPM).

"Then the Head of BKIPM ordered the Head of the Soekarno Hatta Jakarta Large Quarantine Office to accept the Bank Guarantee," he explained.

It's just that, later it was discovered, the rules for submitting bank guarantees as a form of commitment for the export of lobster seeds were allegedly never existed.

In the case of the export bribery of lobster fry or lobster seeds, Edhy Prabowo was named a suspect in receiving bribes along with five other people, namely: Stafsus Minister of KKP Safri (SAF) and Andreau Pribadi Misanta (APM); Management of PT Aero Citra Kargo (PT ACK) Siswadi (SWD); The staff of the wife of the Minister of KKP, Ainul Faqih, and Amiril Mukminin (AM).

Meanwhile, the giver of the bribe was the Director of PT Dua Putra Perkasa Pratama (PT DPPP) Suharjito (SJT).

Edhy was named a suspect because he was suspected of accepting bribes from companies that had been issued a lobster seed export license using a forwarder company and were kept in one account up to Rp9.8 billion.

Furthermore, on November 5, 2020, Ahmad Bahtiar transferred Rp3.4 billion to the staff account of Edhy's wife, Ainul, which was earmarked for the needs of Edhy, his wife Iis Rosyati Dewi, Safri, and Andreau.

This money is used for shopping for luxury goods by Edhy and his wife in Honolulu, USA on November 21 to 23, 2020, amounting to around IDR 750 million, including Rolex watches, Tumi and LV bags, road bikes, and Old Navy clothes.

In addition, around May 2020, Edhy was also suspected of receiving 100 thousand US dollars from Suharjito through Safri and Amiril.