KPK Finds Out Mechanisms For The Implementation Of Railway Projects Through Minister Of Transportation Budi Karya

Minister of Transportation (Menhub) Budi Karya Sumadi while inspecting the landslide location, Friday 17 March. (VOI)

JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is investigating the mechanism for project implementation at the Director General of Railways of the Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub). This investigation was carried out by examining the Minister of Transportation (Menhub) Budi Karya Sumadi on Wednesday, July 26 yesterday.

Head of the KPK News Section Ali Fikri said Budi had given his statement before investigators as a witness in the bribery case for the railway project. He came with the Secretary General of the Ministry of Transportation Novie Riyanto.

"The two witnesses were present and their knowledge was explored, among others, related to the internal mechanism at the Ministry of Transportation in the implementation of the railway line construction and maintenance project at the Director General of Railways," Ali said in a written statement to reporters, Thursday, July 27.

In addition, investigators also questioned the two of them about internal supervision. Ali said that Budi and Novie's statements were needed to shed light on this case.

"It is also confirmed regarding the form of supervision and evaluation of the implementation of the project," he explained.

Minister of Transportation Budi Karya was questioned for 10 hours by investigators from the anti-corruption commission. He did not want to elaborate on the examination, but the presence at the KPK office was referred to as support for the investigation of alleged bribery at his institution.

"Other things related to the examination can be conveyed with an examiner," Budi told reporters at the ACLC KPK Building, Rasuna Said, South Jakarta.

Previously, the KPK named 10 suspects for alleged bribery related to the construction and maintenance of railway lines within the Directorate General of Railways of the Ministry of Transportation for Fiscal Year 2018-2022. Six recipients were Director of Railway Infrastructure Harno Trimadi; Commitment Making Officer (PPK) of the Central Java Railway Engineering Center (BTP) Bernard Hasibuan; and Head of Central Java BTP Putu Sumarjaya.

Then there is also the PPK of the South Sulawesi Railway Management Center (BPKA) Achmad Affandi; PPK for Rail Infrastructure, Fadliansyah; and the West Java BTP (Jabagbar) PPK Syntheto Pirjani Hutabarat.

While the rest were bribe givers, namely the Director of PT Istana Putra Agung, Dion Renato Sugiarto; Director of PT Dwifarita Fajarkharisma, Muchamad Hikmat; Vice President of PT KA Manajemen Properti, Parjono; and former Director of PT KA Management Properti, Yoseph Ibrahim. The KPK suspects that six DJKA officials from the Ministry of Transportation have received bribes of Rp. 14.5 billion related to the railway line project in Indonesia.

There are four projects that are suspected of being the bancakan, namely, the project to build the Solo Balapan-Kadipiro-Kalioso Double railway line; a railway line construction project in Makassar, South Sulawesi; four railway construction projects and two supervision projects in Lampegan Cianjur, West Java; and a project to repair the Java-Sumatra level crossing.