As A Result Of His Subordinates Being Entangled In A Railway Project Corruption Case, The Minister Of Transportation Will Conduct An Audit

Minister of Transportation (Menhub) Budi Karya Sumadi (Photo: Doc. Antara)

Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi said he would conduct an audit to ensure that problematic projects still meet safety and operational requirements.

The statement follows a case of alleged bribery by state officials within the Directorate General of Railways (DJKA) of the Ministry of Transportation related to the construction of railway lines in South Sulawesi, Central Java, West Java and Java-Sumatra areas for the 2018-2022 Fiscal Year.

"We will also increase supervision of the implementation of other infrastructure projects, and ensure their quality to ensure safe transportation," he said, in Jakarta, Thursday, April 13.

Budi admitted that he was concerned about the case of a railway project involving a number of employees from the Ministry of Transportation.

"We apologize for this incident and will fully submit the legal process to the authorities. We are ready to work together and support the KPK and other related parties to resolve this case," he said.

Furthermore, Budi emphasized that he would not tolerate actions that were contrary to efforts to eradicate corruption and would take firm action against his staff in the event of a violation.

"We are committed to helping eradicate corruption, especially within the Ministry of Transportation, by continuing to remind all levels of integrity and good governance, as well as increasing supervision by related functions," he said.

Previously, the KPK had named 10 suspects in the alleged bribery case by state officials within the Directorate General of Railways (DJKA) of the Ministry of Transportation related to the construction of railway lines in South Sulawesi, Central Java, West Java, and Java-Sumatra areas for the 2018-2022 Fiscal Year.

The four parties suspected of giving bribes, namely the Director of PT IPA (Istana Putra Agung) Dion Renato Sugiarto (DIN), Director of PT DF (Dwifarita Fajarkharisma) Muchamad Hikmat (MUH), Director of PT KA Property Management until February 2023 Yoseph Ibrahim (YOS), and VP of PT KA Management Properti Parjono (PAR).

Meanwhile, six other suspects were suspected of receiving bribes, namely the Director of Railway Infrastructure Harno Trimadi (HNO), Head of the Central Java Railway Engineering Center (BTP) Putu Sumarjaya, Commitment Making Officer (PPK) BTP Central Java Bernard Hasibuan (BEN), PPK BPKA South Sulawesi Achmad Affandi (AFF), PPK Fadliansyah Railway Infrastructure (FAD), and PPK BTP West Java Synto Pirjani Hutabarat (SYN).

In the arrest operation (OTT) of the case, the KPK also secured evidence in the form of IDR 2.823 billion, consisting of IDR 2.027 billion in cash and 20,000 US dollars, a debit card worth IDR 346 million and a bank account balance of IDR 150 million.