Papua Governor Lukas Enembe is suspected of having liaisons in Singapore. The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is trying to summon or examine that person to find out the extent of his role.
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FABIO MARIA LOPES COSTA, NORBERTUS ARYA DWIANGGA MARTIAR, PRAYOGI DWI SULISTYO, DIAN DEWI PURNAMASARI
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JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The KPK will seek information from a person in Singapore who is suspected of acting as a liaison for Papuan Governor Lukas Enembe. The KPK also emphasized that it is not only handling one case of alleged corruption, but there are a number of other investigations that are also ongoing in the Lukas case.
Previously, the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) found suspicious transactions in the form of cash deposits allegedly made by Lukas to a casino worth 55 million Singapore dollars or around Rp 560 billion ($37.000). Lukas is also suspected of being involved in cases of receiving gratuities, misappropriation of Papua National Sports Week operational funds and money laundering (Kompas, 20/9/2022).
The Deputy for Enforcement and Execution of the KPK, Karyoto, at the KPK building in Jakarta on Tuesday (20/9/2022) said the KPK had the name of one of the alleged liaisons for Lukas in Singapore. "Later we will try to investigate or summon him. If he is a Singaporean citizen, there will definitely be a process of cooperation between the two countries to be able to present the person as a witness and whether this person is actively or passively involved in helping the suspect hide or disguise the proceeds of the crime," he said.
This week, the KPK leaders plan to go to Singapore to meet with the leaders of the Singapore Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB). During the meeting, the examination or summoning of the liaison will be discussed.
Karyoto said that there was not only one case handled by the KPK related to Lukas. There are several cases being handled based on reports from the community and PPATK. During the investigation process, the KPK will also investigate several other cases.
He also said that the KPK has taken over the blocking carried out by PPATK worth Rp 71 billion ($4.7 million) on several banking services and insurances. “We are still searching for the main crime, whether it is bribery, related to the procurement of goods and services or others,” he said.
According to Karyoto, the reports from PPATK are credible information to detect the existence of suspicious transactions. This is an effort to prove the flow of funds and will usually be linked to money laundering crimes. In money laundering, various things are carried out to store the results of the crimes by disguising or hiding them through the banking system.
We are still searching for the main crime, whether it is bribery, related to the procurement of goods and services or others.
Meanwhile PPATK Chairman Ivan Yustiavandana said he fully entrusted the cases of Lukas to the KPK.
Separately, the Deputy of Transparency International Indonesia (TII) Wawan Heru Suyatmiko has the opinion that the cash deposits in the casino needs to be believed as a money laundering act, even though this technique is not new. While the law in Indonesia bans gambling, there are many big gambling locations near Indonesia, such as Macau, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Through gambling, money which is believed to be the result of corruption can be quickly multiplied. Meanwhile, if someone gets profit from gambling in the form of money, then it seems as if the money is a result of gambling, not corruption. Likewise when he loses, the money will simply disappear, without being tracked.
Rallies in Jayapura
In Jayapura on Tuesday, there were rallies by thousands of supporters of Lukas. The police detained five people believed to have provoked the action.
Based on police data, there were seven points of rallies, including in North Jayapura district, Abepura district and Heram district. The rallies centered in Taman Imbi in Jayapura.
Based on Kompas observations, a number of roads in Jayapura City, in South Jayapura district and Abepura district, were deserted when the rallies took place. In fact the two areas are the centers of office buildings, education institutions and trade.
At about 11:00 a.m. local time, hundreds of people from Sentani to Jayapura City gathered at the City Border Monument in Heram district. About 200 Police Mobile Brigade personnel blocked the protesters at that location. This condition caused the closing of roads. As a result, the flow of vehicles from Jayapura to Sentani and vice versa was stopped and the crowd returned to Sentani at 3 p.m.
Meanwhile, the crowd from Abepura and Heram gathered at Taman Imbi in front of the office of the Papuan People Representatives Council (DPR Papua). They gave orations and handed over a letter consisting of their aspiration to the Deputy Speaker of DPR Papua Yunus Wonda.
Deputy Chief of Papua Police Brig. Gen. (Pol) Ramdani Hidayat appreciated the Papuan People Coalition who held a conducive rally in Jayapura.
Benyamin Gurik, in his capacity as a representative of the Papuan People Coalition, said that the rally was to demand the KPK to stop criminalizing Lukas because Lukas did not receive gratuities, but used his own money valued at Rp 1 billion ($67.000) in 2020.
Previously, Lukas was named a suspect for allegedly receiving gratuities worth Rp 1 billion in 2020.
The KPK will send a letter for Lukas to meet the summons next week.
Benyamin also considered that the statement from the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD related to the alleged misappropriation of a budget worth hundreds of billions of rupiah was an opinion because it had not been supported by any evidence and there had been no investigation on Lukas.
Regarding the allegations of receiving gratuities, Karyoto emphasized that the KPK was summoning Lukas once named as a suspect. The KPK will send a letter for Lukas to meet the summons next week.
A member of Commission III of the House of Representatives (DPR), Trimedya Panjaitan, asked Lukas to meet the KPK summons in the alleged corruption case of which he is involved. Because he is facing a legal case, Lukas was also asked not to deploy the mass in Papua. He added that by mobilizing the mass for a certain need, Lukas is considered to complicate his situation.