Palace Probes Alleged Payoffs to UBK Student Leaders After Protest

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Deputy State Secretary Bambang Eko Suhariyanto stated that he is not yet aware of the details surrounding the alleged flow of funds to the leadership of the Student Executive Board (BEM) of the Faculty of Law at Bung Karno University. These allegations surfaced after the Chairperson of BEM FH UBK, Muhammad Abdimaludin, admitted to receiving a sum of money during a demonstration titled "Tata Ulang Indonesia" (Restructuring Indonesia) on Monday, June 15, 2026.

Bambang stated that he will first look into the circulating reports. "I will verify the news first to see if it is true," he said when met at the Parliament complex in Jakarta on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.

The confession of the BEM FH UBK Chair regarding the receipt of millions of rupiah has gone viral on social media. In a widely circulated video clip, Abdi, speaking before the UBK academic community, admitted to accepting money intended to prevent the crowd he was leading at the time from marching to the Horse Statue area in Central Jakarta.

"Regarding the issue being discussed, about the money, I did indeed receive it," Abdi said in footage viewed by Tempo from the Instagram account @marhaenpress on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.

He did not specify the exact total amount of money he claimed to have received. Abdi merely mentioned that the cash he had pocketed amounted to around 20 percent of the total promised sum.

He went on to say that the money had been used for personal expenses, and had also been distributed to UBK alumni, the BEM FH UBK leadership, and the leadership of the BEM Faculty of Economics at UBK. "2.5 million rupiah went to two alumni, 2 million to my Deputy, 2 million to Mubarak, and 2 million to the BEM FE UBK," he detailed.

In his statement, Abdi explained that the money was handed over through a police officer whom he was introduced to by a UBK alumnus. The money was intended to ensure that the protesters under Abdi's command at the time did not advance to the Horse Statue area. In addition, the students were reportedly asked to agree to a closed-door mediation with Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka.

The UBK students staged the demonstration on Monday, June 15, 2026. The crowd marched from the UBK campus in Cikini toward the Horse Statue area, though they engaged in minor scuffles and shoving with police personnel in the Tugu Tani area.

The leaders of the demonstration were subsequently invited to meet with Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka. Fifteen student representatives visited Gibran's office and held a closed mediation session lasting 60 minutes, during which they discussed controversies surrounding the free nutritious meals (MBG) and the Red and White Village Cooperative projects.

"The Vice President took note of our demands, which include the evaluation and overhaul of all the irregularities in the country today, such as the free nutritious meals (MBG) and the Red and White Village Cooperative," Abdi said after the mediation at the Vice President's Palace in Central Jakarta on Monday, June 15, 2026.

He then warned that they would return to stage further demonstrations if their demands were not met within a 5x24-hour window following the meeting. "If our demands are not fulfilled within 5x24 hours after the meeting, we will take to the streets with even greater numbers," Abdi stated on Tuesday, June 16, 2026.

Andi Adam Faturahman contributed to this article.

Read: MBG Supporters Rally at Jakarta's Patung Kuda Monument

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