JAKARTA - Former Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Edhy Prabowo explained the reasons behind the appointment of his expert staff. The reasons include political issues.

This admission was conveyed by Edhy Prabowo when he was a witness in the trial of the alleged bribery of the lobster seed export license with the defendant Suharjito.

Initially, the prosecutor questioned the mechanism for appointing expert staff. Edhy Prabowo answered that the position of expert staff was immediately appointed as minister.

"The names who were later appointed as special staff, did you mean that was it your own proposal or was there an internal meeting first?" asked the prosecutor during a trial at the Corruption Court, Jakarta, Wednesday, March 17.

"Yes (appointment)," replied Edhy.

Edhy Prabowo also revealed the start of the appointment of the special staff. For three of them, Safri Muis, Putri Catur, and TB Januar were appointed as expert staff because they had a big role in helping her when she became chairman of Commission IV of the DPR.

"I invite brother Safri Muis, sister Putri, and TB Januar because when I was a member of the DPR RI for three terms, in the second period they helped me become chairman of Commission IV DPR RI," said Edhy Prabowo.

"They helped me in all activities in this sector. So when I became minister I tried to propose that these names could be accepted as special staff," he continued.

Meanwhile, Andreau Misanta Pribadi was appointed as an expert staff for political reasons. This is because Edhy Prabowo appointed him because Andreau was the success team for the Joko Widodo camp.

"Meanwhile, politically, for me as a minister, I happen to be from the pair number two (the Prabowo-Sandiaga 2019 presidential election pair) who seem to take a portion, as if we all control it," he said.

In this case, the Director of PT Dua Putera Perkasa Pratama (PT DPP), Suharjito, was charged with bribing the former Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) Edhy Prabowo in the amount of IDR 2.1 billion. The bribe is related to the export license for lobster or fry.

"Defendant Suharjito has committed several acts that have such a relationship that it must be seen as a continuing act, namely giving or promising something, namely giving something in the form of a total of USD 103 thousand and Rp 706,055,440 to Civil Servants or State Administrators, namely to Edhy Prabowo as Minister. Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of the Republic of Indonesia (KP-RI Minister), "said KPK prosecutor Siswandono in a trial at the Corruption Court, Jakarta, Thursday, February 11.

The amount of bribes amounting to Rp2.1 billion represents the accumulated money given. This is because, if converted to rupiah, 103 thousand United States (US) dollars are worth Rp. 1,441,799,150 or around Rp1.4 billion.

The indictment revealed that Suharjito gave bribes to Edhy Prabowo through the special staff of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Safri and Andrau Misanta Pribadi. In addition, the name of Edhy's Personal Secretary, Amiril Mukminin, and Ainul Faqih as the personal staff of Edhy Prabowo's wife, namely, Iis Rosita Dewi, were also written.

Suharjito was charged with Article 5 paragraph (1) letter a or Article 13 of the Corruption Eradication Law in conjunction with Article 64 paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code.


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