Prosecutor Reveals There Is An Order To Abolish Contracts Suspected Of COVID-19 Social Assistance

The continued trial of the COVID-19 social assistance bribery case at the Corruption Court (Rizky Adytia / VOI)

JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) public prosecutor (JPU) revealed that there was a special order from the Commitment-making official (PPK) at the Directorate of Social Protection for Social Disaster Victims of the Ministry of Social Affairs (Kemensos) Victorious Saut Hamonangan Siahaan to his staff.

This order is to delete documents containing contracts that are suspected of being related to the COVID-19 social assistance (bansos) contract.

Initially, the public prosecutor questioned Victorious with questions about providing social assistance for handling COVID-19 in the Greater Jakarta area. The prosecutor touched on the order to remove documents.

"Witness, regarding the witness' attempt to order several parties to erase records or data, do you know the content of that data?", asked the prosecutor during a trial at the Corruption Court, Jakarta, Monday, March 22.

However, Victorious argued that the order to Ministry of Social Affairs staff named Yahya was not from him. Prosecutors continued to search for the content of the document.

"What's in the data? How did the witness ask your staff to delete it?" asked the prosecutor.

"No, probably, I think my staff was instructed or ordered by Joko to delete the contract documents", Victorious replied.

Hearing that answer, the prosecutor asked a question about the reason for the order. Victorious said one of the reasons was simply because he didn't want the staff to get caught in a case.

"Because, one, he is a staff. Second, honorary sir, not a civil servant. So I just feel sorry for him, if he was involved in this (COVID-19 assistance bribery case)", said Victorious.

In this case, the defendant Harry van Sidabukke was a private party accused of bribing Juliari and a number of officials at the Ministry of Social Affairs with a total value of IDR 1.28 billion.

Meanwhile, President Director of PT Tigapilar Agro Utama Ardian Iskandar Maddanatja was charged with giving IDR 1.95 billion to Juliari and a number of officials at the Ministry of Social Affairs.

The bribery was carried out so that the two defendants were appointed as providers of COVID-19 social assistance to the Ministry of Social Affairs in 2020.