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Four ACT execs named suspects in charity-fund embezzlement, money laundering
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The logo of the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) adorns the frontispiece of its South Jakarta headquarters. (National Police/File)
T
he police have named four top executives of popular humanitarian-organization Aksi Cepat Tanggap (ACT) as suspects for several crimes, including charity-fund embezzlement and money laundering.
The National Police’s special-economic-crime deputy director Sr. Comr. Helfi Assegaf said on Monday that the police have named ACT founder and ACT chairman Ahyudin, foundation board-members Heryana Hermain and Novariadi Imam Akbari as well as ACT president Ibnu Hajar as suspects.
The police have said it was looking into at least three alleged crimes. The first one is the alleged embezzlement of compensation funds received by some families of the deadly crash of Lion Air flight JT-610, which was donated to ACT.
The downed aircraft, a brand-new Boeing 737 MAX 8, crashed into the Java Sea on Oct. 29, 2018 shortly after taking off for a flight from Jakarta to Bangka Belitung Islands, killing all 189 passengers and crew members on board.
The second is allegation of charity-fund misuse as reported by the Financial Transaction Report and Analysis Center (PPATK).
“The third one is the allegation of ACT using new companies as shell corporations,” special-economic-crime director Brig. Gern. Whisnu Hermawan said last week.
Whisnu said the police alleged the companies were set up for money-laundering purposes.
A broad investigation into the nonprofit has been opened following a July 2 Tempo exposé that alleged that ACT had misappropriated charitable funds for the benefit of top executives and for expenses unrelated to the organization’s philanthropic activities.
ACT is one of the country’s most successful charities, having collected Rp 519 billion (US$6.7 million) in donations in 2020 alone.
Earlier this month, the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) froze 60 accounts affiliated with the organization at 33 financial institutions. In a review that PPATK began in 2018, it discovered transactions worth Rp 30 billion made between ACT and a company owned by one of its founders.
It also found indications that ACT had failed to use funds it had collected from donors for their stated purpose. The PPATK said the nonprofit allegedly used the donations to generate profit instead of disbursing them as intended.
The Social Affairs Ministry has also revoked ACT’s charitable-collection license, contending that it violated a regulation stipulating that licensed entities may use a maximum 10 percent of their charitable funds to cover operating costs. (dre)
