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House forms three committees to probe Jiwasraya, Asabri
The House of Representatives has set up three working committees tasked with investigating alleged corruption at state-owned insurers Asuransi Jiwasraya and Asuransi Sosial Angkatan Bersenjata Republik Indonesia (Asabri), an effort supported mainly by parties in the government coalitionHouse Commission XI overseeing financial affairs was the last to set up a committee on the cases, whose works will focus on ensuring affected policyholders get their money back
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span>The House of Representatives has set up three working committees tasked with investigating alleged corruption at state-owned insurers Asuransi Jiwasraya and Asuransi Sosial Angkatan Bersenjata Republik Indonesia (Asabri), an effort supported mainly by parties in the government coalition
House Commission XI overseeing financial affairs was the last to set up a committee on the cases, whose works will focus on ensuring affected policyholders get their money back.
Jiwasraya is in deep financial trouble after failing to pay out on customers’ policies when they fell due. Jiwasraya promised customers hefty gains but invested their funds in questionable stocks.
Five big fish have been named suspects in the case, including tycoon Benny Tjokrosaputro and PT Trada Alam Minera president commissioner Heru Hidayat.
The two businessmen sold off their stocks, which were in Jiwasraya’s portfolio, before the scandal exploded, causing Jiwasraya’s investment value to plunge.
Asabri, another state insurer and pension fund manager for military and police personnel and Defense Ministry employees, had also allegedly been investing in shady stocks. Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD said Asabri’s capital had dropped by Rp 17 trillion (US$1.25 billion) in a year.
Like Jiwasraya, hundreds of millions of dollars are gone from Asabri’s investment portfolio.
“We have formed an Asabri investigation team,” Prabowo said. “It has started the work.”
House Speaker Puan Maharani of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said, however, that there was still a possibility of making a more intensive committee, a special committee (Pansus), for the cases. “We will wait for the [working] committees’ findings. Let them work first.”
Before Commission XI formed a committee, Commission VI overseeing state-owned enterprises and Commission III overseeing legal affairs had also set up committees with different focuses.
Commission VI will look into the performance of both companies. Meanwhile, a working committee under Commission III will monitor the work of the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) and other law enforcers in investigating the case.
Although three committees have been formed, two parties outside the government coalition, the Democratic Party and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), still want the formation of a special committee involving legislators from different commissions to investigate the case.
Democratic Party chairman and former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono pushed for the formation of a special committee instead of a working committee. Party executive Ferdinand Hutahaean said Yudhoyono was unhappy as he felt he had been dragged into the Jiwasraya financial trouble.
Yudhoyono’s objection to the working committees was triggered by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s statement that the Jiwasraya case had started in 2016, when Yudhoyono was still in office.
Of the three commissions, only the Commission VI committee has completed its member list. PDI-P politician Aria Bima will chair the Commission VI working committee amid allegations that the Jiwasraya scandal occurred because the money was used to support Jokowi’s campaign in the 2019 presidential election.
As the commission will prioritize the Jiwasraya case, according to Dito, it will immediately call the Financial Services Authority (OJK).
The Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) said it would examine the flow of funds related to the graft allegations against Jiwasraya.
“The PPATK will support [the investigation of the case] from a ‘follow the money’ approach,” said PPATK chairman Kiagus Ahmad Badaruddin in Jakarta on Tuesday. “We will pore over [Jiwasraya’s] transactions to support the AGO [investigation].”
However, he declined to give further details about the PPATK’s probe into Jiwasraya, saying it was still underway and that its findings would be handed over to the AGO.
Kiagus said the PPATK would also conduct a thorough assessment of Jiwasraya’s transaction records.
“In the process of examining the transaction [records], we will do it comprehensively, whether it’s the company or the individuals,” Kiagus said.
Attorney General ST Burhanuddin suspected someone in the OJK was involved in the Jiwasraya case. Burhanuddin also said his party was allegedly involved in the corruption case in Jiwasraya.
The AGO has examined 130 witnesses in the case as of Thursday. The AGO has previously called some witnesses from the OJK, namely OJK Non-Bank Financial Industry Supervisor chief executive Riswinandi and OJK Capital Market Supervisory chief executive Hoesen.
