IO – General Attorney ST Burhanuddin stated that according to the calculations of the Audit Board (Badan PemeriksaKeuangan– “BPK”), the total of losses sustained by the State in the suspected corruption case involving the Armed Forces Insurance Company, PT Asuransi Angkatan Bersenjata Republik Indonesia (Asabri), is IDR 22 trillion. “The State Development Audit Agency (Badan Pengawasan Keuangan dan Pembangunan– “BPKP”) calculated the total loss at IDR 17 trillion. However, we use BPK’s calculations, which totals IDR 22 trillion plus,” Burhanuddin stated in a Work Meeting with Commission III of the RI House of Representatives (DewanPerwakilanRakyat – “DPR”) in the Parliamentary Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, on Tuesday (26/01/2021).
Burhanuddin stated that the Attorney General’s Office has confiscated about IDR 18 trillion in assets in relation to the case. However, investigators will continue to seek out Asabri assets, “Which is probably going to be huge because so far Asabri losses exceed that of Jiwasraya Insurance losses,” he said. “We have arrested seven suspects. However, two of them are also involved in the Jiwasraya case.”
The Asabri corruption case was initially handled by the National Police. There were at least three reports being investigated by the Bhayangkara Corps. However, they have yet to arrest anyone for the case. They suspect violations of Article 2 Paragraph (1) and/or Article 3 of Law Number 21 of 1999 concerning the Eradication of the Crime of Corruption, as has been amended by Law Number 20 of 2001, and Article 3 and/or Article 4 or Article 5 of Law Number 8 of 2010 concerning the Prevention and Eradication of the Crime of Money Laundering in conjunction with Article 55 Paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code.
Information concerning suspected corruption in PT Asabri was first mentioned by Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mahfud MD earlier this January. To complement the General Attorney’s statement, Junior General Attorney for Special Crimes Ali Mukartono stated that the difference between the findings of BPKP and BPK are only caused by difference in calculation method. However, BPK investigated data for a longer period than BPKP. “Say, for example, that the BPKP investigated two years’ worth of data, while BPK investigated three years’ worth, they would naturally arrive at different numbers. Not to mention the fact that the State’s finances might fluctuate during an investigation. Such fluctuations can occur due to different causes, such as share prices,” Ali declared to the media on Wednesday (27/01/2021). At the same opportunity, DPR Commission III member Benn K. Harman admonished the General Attorney’s Office to devote more attention to the suspected corruption case involving PT Asabri, as this case caused one of the biggest losses ever sustained by the State. “The Asabri Case should be exposed, as it is a shocking case of the century – the biggest corruption case in the 21st century. I fully support a thorough investigation,” he said.
Benn believes that the people are now waiting for the General Attorney’s Office to resolve the Asabri case, especially in terms of exposing those who have caused such great losses to the State. “Let’s not just reveal the general outline of the case – the public wants to know who exactly was involved,” he said. “The General Attorney’s Office should be transparent in investigating this case and allow the people to find clarity. Everybody should know whether the case is being processed fairly or unfairly, discriminatively or not, and whether or not some people are immune from investigation and prosecution.” (dan)