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Govt forms suspicious transactions task force
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Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD (right) and Financial Transactions Reporting and Analysis Center (PPATK) chairman Ivan Yustiavandana (left) attend a hearing before House of Representatives Commission III, overseeing law and human rights, in Senayan, Jakarta, on March 29. (Antara/Rivan Awal Lingga)
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oordinating Legal, Political and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD announced on Monday the creation of a joint task force to dig into the Rp 349 trillion (US$23.4 million) in suspicious transactions under the Finance Ministry, prioritizing the alleged money laundering case worth Rp 189 trillion involving imported gold bars.
“The joint task force will focus on the highest value audit report [LHP] worth Rp 189 trillion as it has fallen under public scrutiny,” Mahfud told a Monday press briefing.
The alleged money laundering case first came up in a meeting with the House of Representatives on March 29, with Mahfud saying the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) had already notified the Finance Ministry of the case in 2017.
Deputy Finance Minister Suahasil Nazara revealed in a press briefing on March 31 the Customs and Excise Directorate General had brought the case involving the imported gold bars to court in 2019, but eventually lost the case.
Given this fact, the Committee for the Prevention and Eradication of Money Laundering (TPPU) that Mahfud leads decided to reboot the investigation to account for the issues left out by the Finance Ministry’s previous case-building process, handing the reins to the joint task force.
Consisting of the PPATK, the Finance Ministry, the National Police, the Attorney General’s Office (AGO), the Financial Services Authority (OJK), the State Intelligence Agency and his own ministry, Mahfud assured the public the “joint task force will perform their duty with professionalism, transparency and accountability”.
During the press briefing, Mahfud also reassured the public his ministry and the Finance Ministry were both using the PPATK’s Information Analysis Report (LHA) aggregate data from 2009 to 2023. The perceived differences were previously a point of contention during Mahfud’s fiery debate with House Commission III, overseeing legal affairs.
