Indonesia’s anti-graft agency has named five people as suspects in an alleged corruption case involving the procurement of goods and services using emergency funds at the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).
One of the suspects is Bima Setyawan, the younger brother of Suharyanto, who was replaced as BNPB chief by Kristomei Sianturi on Thursday 14th October. It remains unclear whether the leadership change is directly related to the ongoing corruption investigation. The other individuals named as suspects by authorities are BNPB procurement officer Gabriel Purwaka Sigit, expert advisor Richard Erlangga and two individuals from the private sector, Gery Prasetiawan and Syifa Nrika G, according to local media reports.
The alleged corruption involves purchases made by BNPB, some of which were paid for using agency funds allocated for critical emergency needs, such as delivering vital aid to disaster-hit areas across the country. These emergency funds make up a significant portion of the disaster mitigation agency’s annual budget for the year, totalling up to 4.62 trillion rupiah (US$258 million), The Jakarta Post reported.
The official naming of the five suspects on Wednesday (13th October) followed a series of coordinated raids by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) earlier this week across Jakarta. During the operation, 14 people were initially detained, including BNPB secretary general Rustian. The five suspects named on Wednesday were among those detained during the raids. Rustian has since been released by authorities and is currently being treated as a witness in the case.
Chairman of Indonesia’s anti-graft agency Setyo Budianto stated that the alleged corruption case involved collusion facilitated by personal connections. The activity is believed to have been ongoing for the past three to four years, with those involved suspected of exploiting regulations that allow BNPB to appoint suppliers directly during emergency situations for personal gain. The misuse of these public funds allegedly involves several private companies that were pre-arranged to secure lucrative contracts.
“This is what we are investigating further. There are indications of cooperation and a degree of manipulation, particularly in the allocation of the budget and how it was utilised and spent, with some of it allegedly misappropriated by certain individuals for their own benefit,” Kompas quoted Budianto as saying.
Former BNPB chief Suharyanto has not been named as a suspect. However, the KPK has not ruled out questioning him if investigators find corroborating testimony and evidence during the course of the investigation, local media reported.
The expanding investigation into the disaster management agency has prompted Abdullah, a member of the House of Representatives’ Third Commission, to call on both the KPK and the Supreme Audit Agency to conduct a comprehensive audit of BNPB’s overall financial management.
“If funds that should have been used to help victims are instead misappropriated, we must ask how many people may have been deprived of the assistance they should have received,” Abdullah said.
The corruption probe comes at a crucial time as Indonesia grapples with a series of severe natural emergencies this year. These include the eruptions of Mount Anak Krakatau in September, persistent forest and peatland fires across Sumatra and Kalimantan, and a deadly earthquake in East Tenggara in August, The Jakarta Post reported.
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