TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Minister of Villages, Disadvantage Regions and Transmigration Eko Putro Sandjojo said last week that he is ready to be questioned by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) over a bribery scandal implicating his subordinates.

Eko asserted that he had never told his subordinates to violate the law in order to obtain an ‘unqualified opinion’ (WTP) from the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK). "We have been working hard, but it does not necessarily mean that we would do whatever it takes," he said.

The KPK on Friday arrested six individuals in a sting operation over bribery in relation the ‘unqualified opinion’ from the BPK. Four of the individuals have been named suspects, namely Village Minister Inspector General Sugito, Village Minister echelon III officer Jarot Budi Prabowo, as well as two BPK auditors Rochmadi Saptogiri and Ali Sadli.

In the sting operation, investigators found allegedly bribe money amounting to Rp40 million at Ali’s office. The investigators also found Rp1.145 billion and US$3,000 in a deposit box in Rochmadi’s office. Sugito allegedly bribed the BPK officials to give unqualified opinion to the Village Minister in the 2016 Government Financial Report (LKPP).

The KPK spokesman Febri Diansyah said yesterday that the agency may question Village Minister Eko Putro Sandjojo as a witness in the bribery case. "[He] will be summoned if needed by the investigators," he said.

The KPK investigators yesterday search the Village Minister building in south Jakarta, during which they confiscated some documents. The KPK earlier sealed off the BPK offices in the building and those on Jalan Gatot Subroto in central Jakarta.

The BPK chairman Moermahadi Soerja said that the LKPP audit for 2016 has been concluded despite the bribery scandal. "It should not be overgeneralized that the BPK’s opinion is for sale. We have to follow the process at the KPK," he said.

KPK chairman Agus Rahardjo said that the agency has secured the evidence of communication between the Village Minister officials and BPK auditors. "There were talks between SUG [Sugito], asking for help, 'Please help, I will give you something later '," Agus said. As a result, the Village Minister, together with 72 other state agencies, obtained the unqualified opinion from the BPK on the LKPP.

Istman M.P. | Diko Oktara | Aditya Budiman | Indri Maulidar