recent corruption case uncovered by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in Cilegon, Banten has exposed a new bribery modus operandi: using a sports organization’s bank account to accept bribes disguised as donations.
On Friday, the KPK arrested several people over an alleged bribery case related to the environmental impact analysis (Amdal) of the construction plan of a shopping mall in the city.
A total of five people have been named as suspects including Cilegon Mayor Tubagus Iman Ariyadi. The Golkar Party politician’s late father, Aat Syafaat, also served as Cilegon mayor and was arrested by the KPK for corruption in 2012.
Iman has been accused of receiving Rp 1.5 billion (US$113,000) in bribes from companies PT Krakatau Industrial Estate Cilegon (KIEC) and PT Brantas Abipraya, a contractor firm.
Read also: EDITORIAL: Making corrupt leaders pay
Iman had asked the two companies to transfer the money through the bank account of a local soccer club, Cilegon United Football Club (CUFC), and to record the transaction as a donation in an attempt to avoid the suspicions of law enforcement authorities, KPK deputy chairperson Basaria Panjaitan said.
“We have uncovered a new modus operandi, in which corporate social responsibility [CSR] mechanisms are used [to channel bribes],” she told reporters on Saturday.
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