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PPATK flags foreign funding of political parties
Reports of dubious transactions, including money from overseas, have raised concerns that political parties and their politicians are stooping to illegal means to fund their election campaigns, as pressure mounts from activists for authorities to properly investigate the findings.
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Election campaign banners cover a pedestrian bridge at Jl. K.H. Mas Mansyur in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, on Jan. 5, 2024. The General Elections Commission (KPU) prohibits candidates from putting up campaign banners in public facilities. (Antara/Sulthony Hasanuddin)
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eports of dubious transactions, including money from overseas, have raised concerns that political parties and their members are stooping to illegal means to fund their election campaigns, as pressure mounts from activists for authorities to properly investigate the findings.
The Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) has found that money from overseas has flown into the accounts of treasurers of central and regional offices of 21 unnamed national and local parties ahead of the February general election.
"In 2022, funds received from abroad [by the 21 political parties] stood at Rp 83 billion [US$5.3 million], while in 2023, which is a political year, it stood at 195 billion," PPATK chief Ivan Yustiavandana said during an annual review on Wednesday.
He did not reveal where the funding came from, which parties received it and how much of it was used to fund campaigns.
Ivan went on to say that some 177 legislative candidates from the 18 political parties participating in February’s election had also exchanged Rp 764 billion into foreign currencies throughout 2022 and 2023, allegedly to fund their campaigns.
A closer look at the PPATK data shows that some of the legislative candidates have also engaged in suspicious financial transactions, amounting to a total of at least Rp 51 trillion.
Reports of dubious transactions first came to light last month, when Ivan revealed that the PPATK had discovered some campaigns were funded by the operation of illegal mines and the misappropriation of funds from rural micro lenders (BPR) in Central Java.
