Juliari's Subordinates Propose Justice Collaborator, Judge: Responds To Lawsuits

Former Minister of Social Affairs Juliari Batubara (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - The former Commitment Officer (PPK) for the provision of the COVID-19 basic food assistance at the Ministry of Social Affairs, Matheus Joko Santoso, applied to become an actor who cooperated with law enforcement (justice collaborator).

"Your Excellency wants to apply for justice collaborator (JC) Your Honor, from the defendant Matheus Joko", said Matheus Joko's legal adviser, Tangguh Setiawan Sirait, at the Jakarta Corruption Court, reported by Antara, Tuesday, June 15.

Matheus Joko is a defendant together with former Head of the General Bureau of the Ministry of Social Affairs, Adi Wahyono, and former Minister of Social Affairs, Juliari Batubara, for allegedly accepting bribes of IDR 32.482 billion from 109 companies providing social assistance.

"We will respond to it at the time of the prosecution", said the public prosecutor of the Corruption Eradication Commission, Ikhsan Fernandi.

After the trial, Tangguh said that his client filed for justice collaborator because he wanted justice.

"However, from the beginning of the trial, I said that Mr. Matheus Joko was only carrying out orders, orders from the Minister", said Tangguh.

According to Tangguh, Matheus Joko was only used by Juliari Batubara to manage activities that required money from vendors providing COVID-19 social assistance.

"Because this is only an order, from there I convinced my client, Mr. Matheus Joko, to apply for a justice collaborator and fully disclose what really happened at the Ministry of Social Affairs at that time", Tangguh added.

Tangguh said that Matheus Joko had also submitted a justice collaborator since April 1, 2021, to the KPK (Corruption Eradication Commission).

"Only in court, we see first. We want to convince the judges and prosecutors that we are consistent in revealing one fact at a time in this trial", said Tangguh.

Tangguh also hopes that the justice collaborator's request will be granted.

"Everything has been opened regarding the issue of who is involved, who has a quota, Mr. Matheus Joko, my client has already opened up regarding the issue of who owns the quota, anyone who proposes to open everything, it means we are consistent and I am also escorting Mr. Matheus Joko so that the defendant's statement can be revealed later", said Tangguh.

In the indictment, it is stated that the bribery was given to Juliari Batubara through Matheus Joko Santoso as the Commitment Officer for the provision of COVID-19 basic food assistance at the Directorate of Social Protection for Social Disaster Victims of the Ministry of Social Affairs for the April-October 2020 period and Adi Wahyono as the Head of the General Bureau of the Ministry of Social Affairs as well as PPK for the provision of social assistance for COVID-19 necessities October—December 2020.

Of the IDR 32,482 billion, IDR 14.7 billion, according to the KPK prosecutor, has been received by Juliari from Matheus Joko and Adi Wahyono through the intermediary of people close to Juliari, namely the technical team of the Minister of Social Affairs Kukuh Ary Wibowo, Juliari's aide named Eko Budi Santoso, and the personal secretary of Juliari Selvy Nurbaity.

Matheus Joko and Adi Wahyono also used the fee for Juliari's operational activities as Minister of Social Affairs and other operational activities at the Ministry of Social Affairs, such as purchasing cellphones, swab test fees, paying for food and drink, purchasing Brompton bicycles, paying artist honorariums for Cita Citata, payment of sacrificial animals, to the rental of private planes.