Agriculture Minister Has Not Yet Return to Indonesia amid Alleged Gratification Case
Editor
3 October 2023 23:01 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Director General of Immigration at the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Silmy Karim, said that the Minister of Agriculture, Syahrul Yasin Limpo, had not yet returned to Indonesia following the alleged gratification case that ensnared the NasDem (National Democrat) politician. Silmy stated that Syahrul Yasin Limpo's last whereabouts in Rome, Italy, were monitored from data on crossings and cooperation between countries.
The minister departed on September 24. He left Indonesia from Soekarno-Hatta Airport for Rome. Syahrul Yasin Limpo is scheduled to return on September 30 and arrive in Indonesia on October 1. "We have checked, there has not any info yet in the system that tells that the person is already in Indonesia," said Silmy when met after a limited meeting at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on Tuesday, October 3, 2023.
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) searched the official residence of Syahrul Yasin Limpo in Kebayoran Baru on Thursday evening, September 28, 2023. The KPK also searched the Ministry of Agriculture's office, namely in the room of Syahrul and the Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Kasdi Subagyono.
In a press conference in Jakarta on Friday, September 29, 2023, KPK spokesman Ali Fikri said that his party confiscated Rp30 billion in cash which was found inside several envelopes. The Corruption Eradication Committee (KPK) suspects that some of the money came from employees related to promotions and transfers at the Ministry of Agriculture.
When the search took place, Syahrul Yasin Limpo was not at home and was visiting a horticultural screen house farm model in the Almeria region, Spain. The day before that he was in a meeting with the Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization.
Silmy, when met at the Palace, said that he had not yet received a letter from the Corruption Eradication Commission regarding the proposal or decision to include Syahrul Yasin Limpo as a fugitive (DPO). According to him, this is related to the needs in terms of the investigation process at the KPK.
“I limit myself according to our functional duties, that is within the authority of the Corruption Eradication Committee (KPK), I can't comment (on whether we will carry out the search on our own or not)," said Silmy.
