KPK Asks Students To Enter Unila Through Bribery Sanctions, Alexander: There Should Be Consequences

JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) hopes that students who enter the University of Lampung (Unila) by bribing its chancellor, Karomani, will be sanctioned. They must suffer the consequences because their actions cannot be justified.

"There should be consequences for illegal entry by means of bribing," said KPK Deputy Chair Alexander Marwata at the KPK's Merah Putih building, Kuningan Persada, South Jakarta, Monday, August 22.

With the punishment, Alexander hopes that similar incidents will not happen again. Unila is expected to be firm in acting.

"We hope that the sanctions are really enforced to have a deterrent effect on other students at other universities as well," he said.

Previously, the KPK named four suspects for alleged bribery of accepting new students at the University of Lampung in 2022. The determination of this suspect began with arrest operations carried out in Lampung, Bandung, and Bali. The suspects involved in this case are the Chancellor of the University of Lampung 2020-2024 Karomani; Vice Chancellor I for Academic Affairs, University of Lampung Heryandi; Chairman of the Senate of the University of Lampung Muhammad Basri; and private Andi Desfiandi.

In this case, Karomani is suspected of fixing the price of seats for prospective new students on his campus at a price ranging from Rp. 100 million to Rp. 350 million when carrying out the Independent Selection for Entrance to the University of Lampung (Simanila). This request was made after Heryandi and Muhammad Basri personally selected the student's parents' ability to pay. As for one of the families of the prospective Simanila participants, Andi then took the initiative to pay after his family was accepted as a student because of Karomani's assistance. He then handed over Rp150 million in cash in Lampung which was taken by a lecturer, namely Mualimin. From his actions, Karomani allegedly managed to collect Rp603 million from Mualimin which was then used for personal purposes amounting to Rp575 million. Meanwhile from Muhammad Basri and Budi Sutomo who is the Head of the Planning and Public Relations Bureau at the University of Lampung, it is suspected that the total money received by Karomani reached Rp. 4.4 billion. This money is then transferred to savings deposits, gold bars, and some are still in cash.