Isnaya Helmi, Jakarta – Former Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chairperson Agus Rahardjo has related his experience in 2017 of being scolded by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo over the electronic ID (e-KTP) mega-project corruption case.
Rahardjo said that at the time, when he held the position of KPK chairperson, he was summoned to speak with Widodo. But what surprised him was that he was summoned to come alone without the other four KPK commissioners.
"I'll be frank, at the time of the e-KTP case I was summoned [to come] alone by the president. I was surprised, usually five [of us] are summoned, how come just me alone. And I was summoned to enter not through the journalists room [but through a discreet route]", said Rahardjo on the Kompas TV Rosi talk-show on Thursday November 30.
"There, as soon as I entered, the president was already angry. Because as soon as I entered, he shouted 'stop it'", he added.
The KPK chairperson for the period 2015-2019 admitted that initially he was confused about the meaning of the word "stop it" expressed by Widodo.
However he finally understood that Widodo's meaning was that he halt the e-KTP corruption case that had ensnared former House of Representatives (DPR) Speaker and Golkar Party chairperson Setya Novanto (Setnov).
"I was shocked right, what did he want stopped", he said.
"Only after I sat down, did I then understand that what I was being ordered to stop was the Setnov case, the DPR speaker at the time, who had the e-KTP case", he explained.
Rahardjo claimed however that he did not follow Widodo's order to stop the investigation into the case bearing in mind that the KPK had already issued an investigation order (Sprindik).
"I said that no matter what, the Sprindik had already been issued three weeks ago, at the time the KPK didn't have SP3 [Order to Stop Investigation], so it was impossible for me to stop it", he explained, referring to the fact that prior to the 2019 revisions, the KPK Law did not allow investigations to be halted.
"Because the job at the KPK was like that, so I didn't pay attention to it, I continued with it", said Rahardjo.
Quoting from Kompas.com, the e-KTP case began in 2009 when the Ministry of Home Affairs was planning to submit a budget to complete the Population Administration Information System (SIAP), one of the components of which was the Population Registration Number (NIK).
The government had also targeted completing the e-KTP project in 2013. The e-KTP project itself was a national program to improve the population data system in Indonesia.
Tenders for the e-KTP project had begun in 2011 but there were many problems because there were indications that there had been massive price markups.
The KPK then uncovered systematic collusion between bureaucrats, legislators, state-owned enterprise (BUMN) officials and private companies in the procurements for the e-KTP project in 2011-2012.
As a consequence of this coordinated corruption, the state suffered losses of as much as 2.3 trillion rupiah.
In the main e-KTP corruption case, several suspects were tried and found guilty. They were Setya Novanto, two former Home Affairs Ministry officials, Irman and Sugiharto, businessperson Made Oka Masagung and former PT Murakabi Sejahtera Director Irvanto Hendra Pambudi Cahyo (Novanto's cousin), businessperson Andi Naragong, PT Quadra Solution Executive Director Anang Sugiana Sudiharjo and former DPR legislator Markus Nari.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Cerita Eks Ketua KPK Agus Rahardjo Dimarahi Jokowi terkait Kasus E-KTP: Beliau Teriak 'Hentikan'".]
