TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia’s largest private lender BCA and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) have recently been under the public spotlight for mistakenly blocking a bank account belonging to a bird trader. KPK in its defense said the trader’s name and birth date were the same as the suspect in a corruption case.

“We have talked with the bank. Based on the information we obtained, the name and birth date of the person happened to be the same as the suspect. The difference is in the address,” said KPK’s head of media affairs Ali Fikri in a written statement, Friday, January 27, 2023.

Ali explained that the suspect in mention was related to the alleged bribery case in the management of grant funds from the East Java Provincial Government. One of the four suspects who have been identified is Ilham Wahyudi who is the Community Group Coordinator. The bird seller’s full name is also Ilham Wahyudi.

The bank, he went on, will later explain the mistake to the customer. “For public understanding, we ensure that every request for blocking [of bank accounts issued] by KPK comes from the need for investigation, and KPK will carry it out according to applicable legal procedures, including the complete data of the party requested for blocking,” Ali concluded.

Meanwhile, BCA has not yet responded to Tempo's request for confirmation.

AMELIA RAHIMA SARI

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