KPK identifies 21 suspects in East Java grant fund corruption case

Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has now named another suspect in the bribery case for the management of basic ideas grant funds (pokir) for fiscal year 2021, the accused is former KDM East Java vice president Sahat Tua. Cement To date, the KPK has identified a total of 21 people as suspects.

An investigation order (Sprindik) was issued on Friday, July 5, 2024 to identify the suspect. The identification of the suspects is a continuation of the Sahat Tua Simanjuntak grant fund bribery case and others.

“In the investigation order, the KPK named 21 suspects. Among them, 4 suspects as receivers, another 17 as alleged givers. 3 of the 4 suspects are state officials and 1 is a public administration employee,” said KPK spokesperson Tessa Mahardhika Sugiarto at the red and white KPK building, Friday, July 12, 2024.

“Meanwhile, of the 17 suspects, 15 of them are private individuals and the other two are government officials,” he said.

However, Tessa still refuses to reveal the identity of the suspects and the structure of the case. When there are coercive attempts at arrest or detention, she describes them in detail.

Tessa explained that KPK investigators also conducted a series of searches in the case of the grant fund. The search was conducted from July 8, 2024 to the present.

Searches were carried out in the areas of Surabaya, Pasuruan, Probolinggo, Tulungagung, Gresik and Blitar, as well as several locations on Madura Island including Bangkalan Regency, Sampang Regency and Sumenep Regency.

“Based on the search results, the Anti-Corruption Commission has seized evidence in the form of approximately Rs 380 crore, documents related to the processing of grant funds, receipts and records of receipt of money worth billions of rupees, bank deposits, evidence of use of money to buy a house, copies of house certificates as well as other documents in the form of mobile phones and other storage media related to the case. It will be further investigated and investigated,” Tessa said.

As previously reported, the panel of judges at the Surabaya Corruption Crime Court has deprived former East Java RHDG Vice Chairman Sahat Tua Simantsuntak of 9 years’ imprisonment. The defendant Sahat was found guilty of accepting bribes for the management of basic idea grant funds (pokir) for the 2021 fiscal year.

The verdict was handed down by Chief Judge I Deva Suardhita at the Surabaya corruption trial in Raya Juanda, Sidoarjo, East Java Regency on Tuesday, September 26, 2023. The site was declared legal and was convincingly proven to have violated Article 12 to Juncto Article 18 of the Anti-Corruption Law.

In addition to being sentenced to 9 years in prison, defendant Sahat was also sentenced to pay a fine of IDR 1 billion, which is subject to six months of imprisonment. The defendant must also pay compensation to the State in the amount of IDR 39.5 billion. In case of non-payment, the defendant’s assets will be confiscated and the proceeds of the auction will be used to compensate the State for damages.

Judge Deva Suadhitha said in his ruling that “if it is still not enough to pay damages to the State, it will be replaced by four years of imprisonment.”

Not only that, the court also decided that the accused should be deprived of his political rights for four years, starting from the moment of serving his sentence.

This sentence was lighter than the demands of the Public Prosecutor’s Office. Previously, the KPK prosecutor charged the accused Sahat with 12 years in prison. The prosecutor also offered to pay compensation of 39.5 billion euros, a subsection of six years in prison, as well as suspension of political rights for five years.

The prosecutor said he accepted the verdict. Meanwhile, defendant Sahat did not immediately decide whether to accept or appeal. “We are thinking about it, Your Highness,” the defendant said.

Recall that the case that caught Sahat Tua Simanjuntak began with an undercover operation (OTT) carried out by the KPK group at the East Java DPRD building in late 2022.

The indictment explains that Sahat is suspected of accepting bribes worth Rp39.5 billion while serving as Vice President of East Java. The grant funds used are the main base of APBD East Java for the 2021-2023 financial year and are budgeted in APBD East Java for the 2023-2024 financial year.

Sahat’s illegal actions were exposed when he accepted bribes from the village chiefs of Zhelgung, Robatal, Sampang, Madura, Abdulhamid and Ilhom Vahudi.