Indonesian Minister of Communication and Information Suspected of Corruption Case

Jakarta, MINA – Indonesian Minister of Communication and Informatics (Menkominfo) Johnny Gerard Plate has officially become a suspect in the alleged corruption case of the Ministry of Communication and Informatics BTS BAKTI project.

As quoted from Republika on Wednesday, after being questioned since 09.00 a.m, Jhonny left the Jampidsus building wearing a pink Attorney General’s Office (AGO) prisoner’s vest around 12.00 a.m.

The vest with the number 004 is a sign of someone who is a suspect at the Attorney General’s Office. Johnny also appeared to be handcuffed when he was taken out of the examination room. Furthermore, Johnny was transported in the prosecutor’s custody car.

The minister from the Nasdem Party had previously been questioned by investigators twice. The first examination, on February 14, and the second on March 15, 2023. Of the two examinations, Johnny was always present to provide information to investigators. However, still end up as a witness.

On Monday, the Attorney General’s Office together with the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP) announced the results of calculating state losses related to corruption in the development and provision of BAKTI 4G BTS infrastructure. From the results of the audit conducted, the BPKP stated that the value of state losses in the project reached IDR 8.32 trillion.

The value of the loss is greater than the original estimate by investigators who estimated it was around Rp. 1 trillion.

However, the Attorney General’s Office made the figure of IDR 8.32 trillion from the official BPKP as a reference for state losses in the investigation process.

Currently, in the ongoing investigation, Jampidsus has named five suspects. They were separated in January and February 2023 are already in detention. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)