KPK Does Not Close Opportunities To Do OTT Officials Even Though They Are Called Luhut Kampungan

Illustration of the KPK's arrest operation (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) insists that Hand Capture Operations (OTT) against officials will still be carried out. Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Panjaitan called it a cliché, but the opportunity to take action has not been closed.

"The KPK itself has never closed the opportunity to make arrests," KPK spokesperson Tessa Mahardika told reporters, Wednesday 24 July.

However, according to Tessa, her party is currently still focused on handling allegations of corruption through case investigations. This is expected to maximise asset recovery and return of state losses.

"The direction of the KPK's focus in prosecution is asset recovery, where the target of confiscating Rp2.4 billion in investigations in 2022 increased to Rp1 trillion, exceeding the target of Rp1.8 trillion to be confiscated in 2023.

"Because the budget given to the KPK for asset recovery is more useful. Instead of us only doing OTT, but there is no asset recovery, while Papua can be far away for OTT and the travel costs are known to be high," continued the spokesperson who has an investigator background.

As previously reported, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment (Menko Marves) Luhut Binsar Panjaitan again called the hand-catching operation (OTT) conducted by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) bad.

This was conveyed during the launch and socialisation of the implementation of nickel and tin commodities through the Mineral and Coal Information System (Simbara) of ministries and institutions held on Monday, 22 July, at Danapara Hall, Ministry of Finance, Jakarta.

"I said the OTT was fake. It is fake because we ourselves made it fake," Luhut said in a statement.

Instead of making arrests, a system should be created to fight corruption. One of them can be done through Pontira.

"I believe with higher efficiency, corruption won't happen either," he said.

"For what, you are dealing with machines. If we only sign integrity pacts, all kinds of prayers until whenever, corruption will continue. For what, he can meet, he can negotiate," he continued.