INDONESIA Corruption Watch (ICW) reminded the Attorney General’s Office (Kejagung) not to investigate alleged fraud at the Indonesian Export Financing Institution (LPEI). This is because the case has been handled by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).
“In this case, as a first step, it is important for ICW to remind the Attorney General’s Office to limit its legal steps so that they are in line with the mandate of statutory regulations,” said ICW researcher Kurnia Ramadhana in a written statement, Thursday, March 21 2024.
Kurnia said that the KPK had declared that it had opened an investigation into the case. Therefore, the AGO cannot investigate the same case if it refers to Article 50 paragraph (3) in the Corruption Eradication Committee Law.
“Article 50 paragraph (3) of the Corruption Eradication Committee Law confirms that if the Corruption Eradication Committee has conducted an investigation, other law enforcement officials, including the Attorney General’s Office, no longer have the authority to do the same thing,” said Kurnia.
The Corruption Eradication Committee (KPK) also received a complaint regarding the case much later than the AGO, namely 10 May 2023. Therefore, the anti-corruption agency was deemed not to have taken part in handling the case because the AGO received a complaint from the Minister of Finance (Menkeu) Sri Mulyani.
Furthermore, ICW questioned Sri Mulyani’s reasons for reporting the alleged fraud to the AGO. Moreover, the Corruption Eradication Committee (KPK) has been investigating a number of parties regarding similar allegations for a long time, one of which is LPEI, which provided data to Sri Mulyani.
Also read: KPK will coordinate fraud cases at LPEI with the Attorney General’s Office
“The simple question is, does the Minister of Finance not know that the Corruption Eradication Commission is conducting an investigation into this case? Even if he doesn’t know, why did he choose the Attorney General’s Office rather than the Corruption Eradication Commission to report suspected criminal incidents, especially corruption crimes?” said Kurnia.
Previously, the Corruption Eradication Commission opened an investigation into alleged fraud that occurred at LPEI. The case was announced a day following Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani made a report on a similar problem at the Attorney General’s Office.
“The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has upgraded the investigation process of alleged irregularities or alleged criminal acts of corruption in the provision of credit facilities from LPEI to the status of an investigation,” said Deputy Chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission Nurul Ghufron at the KPK’s Red and White Building, South Jakarta, Tuesday, March 19 2024.
Ghufron explained that the case was immediately announced following KPK investigators and structural officials held an exposure which was held today. The announcement was also made in response to Sri Mulyani’s complaint at the Attorney General’s Office.
According to him, the alleged corruption was reported to the KPK on May 10 2023. The anti-corruption agency followed up and opened an investigation on February 13 2024. (Z-2)
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