KPK Probes 6 Witnesses in Rp900bn Pandemic Aid Scandal

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has scheduled the examination of six witnesses in a graft case tied to the distribution of presidential social aid or bansos by the Ministry of Social Affairs during the 2020 budget year.

"The aid procurement was for the Greater Jakarta area," KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo said in a written statement on Monday, May 26.

The witnesses were Joedianto Soejono, director of PT Indomarco Adi Prima; Aryani Djaja, director of PT Subur Jaya Gemilang; Dy Hoza Junardy, president director of PT Junatama Foodia Kreasindo; Ubayt Kurniawan, president director of PT Famindo Meta Komunika; Esti Ningsi, head of commercial banking at Bank Mandiri Surabaya; and Budi Pamungkas, director of PT Integra Padma Mandiri. "The questioning will take place at the KPK’s Merah Putih headquarters," Prasetyo added.

The KPK has already named PT Mitra Energi Persada president director Ivo Wongkaren as a suspect in the case, as part of an ongoing investigation into irregularities in the distribution of government food aid during the pandemic.

Before being named a suspect by the KPK, Ivo had already been convicted on June 10, 2024. He was sentenced to eight years and six months in prison and fined Rp1 billion, substitutable with 12 months in prison.

The presidential social aid program, funded by the Ministry of Social Affairs, was first allocated in April 2020 to help cushion the economic blow of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Unlike regular assistance, these packages were distributed in tote bags printed with President Joko Widodo's image. Each month, beneficiaries received a bundle of basic goods, including rice, cooking oil, and biscuits.

The KPK suspects that the project executors deliberately manipulated the Rp900 billion budget for social aid procurement. They are believed to have lowered the quality of the basic goods inside the packages, resulting in aid that fell short of the government's allocation.

Mutia Yuantisya and Riky Ferdianto contributed to this article

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