The KPK Needs Time To Follow Up On The Development Of COVID-19 Social Assistance Cases To Investigation

The defendant in social assistance corruption throughout Jabodetabek in 2020 Juliari Batubara (right) attended a follow-up trial at the Corruption Court, Jakarta, Wednesday April 2021. (M Adimaja-Antara)

JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has ensured that the development of the COVID-19 social assistance (bansos) case that ensnared former Social Minister Juliari P. Batubara continues.

However, they admitted that they needed time to take further steps, including increasing status to investigation.

"It takes time to determine the next legal steps from the results of the investigation in question," said Head of the KPK News Section Ali Fikri to reporters, Monday, September 5.

Ali did not specify what the KPK had obtained from the investigation process. The reason is that this activity is indeed carried out behind closed doors.

However, he ensured that the search for evidence that corroborated state losses from the COVID-19 social assistance procurement process continued.

"So far, an investigation is still being carried out," said Ali.

Meanwhile, the Deputy for Enforcement and Execution of the KPK Karyoto said some time ago that his party was still waiting for the results of an audit from the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP). This step is important to find out the state losses caused by the abusive practice.

"We actually want to be fast. However, our partners in terms of upholding corruption as experts in calculating state losses also need time to calculate," said KPK Deputy for Enforcement and Execution Karyoto at a press conference at the KPK's Merah Putih building, Kuningan Persada, South Jakarta, Thursday, August 25.

The KPK ensures that it continues to coordinate actively with BPKP. However, this process has been going on for a long time.

"If we are ordinary as investigators, it's actually been one week. But the reality is that one year has not been finished yet," said Karyoto.

If later the calculation process has been successfully completed by BPKP, the KPK will definitely step on the gas. Karyoto ensured that his party would thoroughly investigate the social assistance case.

As a reminder, the bribery case for social assistance began after the KPK carried out a hand arrest operation (OTT) at the Ministry of Social Affairs (Kemensos). Furthermore, from this operation, former Social Minister Juliari Batubara was named a suspect.

In this case, Juliari was sentenced to 12 years in prison for being proven to have accepted bribes related to the procurement of COVID-19 social assistance in the Greater Jakarta area in 2020 to Rp. 14.7 billion.

Besides Juliari, two former Juliari's subordinates, namely the former Commitment Making Officer (PPK) of the Ministry of Social Affairs, namely Adi Wahyono and Matheus Joko Santoso, were also involved in this case. Adi was found guilty and sentenced to 7 years in prison while Matheus was sentenced to 9 years in prison.