The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician was placed in KPK custody on Sunday afternoon following about 10 hours of questioning.

Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chairman Firli Bahuri said Juliari, his subordinates, Matheus Joko Santoso and Adi Wahyono, had purportedly accepted roughly Rp 12 billion (US$582,020) in bribes from a number of suppliers during the first wave of the ministry’s aid distribution earlier this year.

The minister had allegedly instructed Matheus and Adi to handpick and strike distribution deals entailing commission fees with several suppliers, including Ardian IM and Harry Sidabuke, as well as PT RPI – a private company allegedly owned by Matheus – for a period of between May and November, according to Firli.

Matheus, Adi, Ardian and Harry were also named suspects in the graft.

“It started with the distribution of COVID-19 social aid consisting of daily supplies from the Social Affairs Ministry, which was worth Rp 5.9 billion with a total of 272 contracts, over the course of two [waves],” Firli said during a press conference on Sunday morning.

“[Matheus and [Adi] had agreed on a Rp 10,000 fee for each aid package costing Rp 300,000.”

Firli went on to say that Juliari’s personal share throughout the first wave of aid distribution had totaled Rp 8.2 billion. The funds were then managed by Juliari’s confidantes — identified only as EK and SN — to finance the minister’s personal life, he added.

The second wave of distribution from October to December had yielded around Rp 8.8 billion in bribes, the KPK claimed.

Juliari has been charged under bribery articles 12 and 11 of the Corruption Law.

Read also: KPK urges ministries to improve social aid, wage subsidy recipient data validation

KPK deputy chairman Nawawi Pomolang revealed that the antigraft agency had been profiling stakeholders connected to COVID-19 aid distribution, including Juliari, since June to anticipate any illicit behavior.

“We inspected [the distribution process] over the last several months,” Nawawi told an online forum held by Lembaga Survei Indonesia (LSI). “When we received reports of [distribution] models we considered prone to legal violations, we [followed up on them].”

Juliari previously brushed off mounting criticism surrounding the delivery of aid, claiming that data discrepancies in social assistance distribution during the pandemic were not the central administration’s responsibility.

“About whether prospective beneficiaries are eligible or ineligible, that is not our responsibility. Regional administrations understand this better,” he said in May.

He added that in the current “very abnormal” conditions, the government couldn't afford the “luxury” of data verification and revalidation.

Responding to Juliari’s detainment, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said the government would fully respect and trust the legal proceedings initiated by the KPK, emphasizing that his administration would not protect state officials involved in graft.

“Public funds went into the aid, which is meant for national COVID-19 and economic recovery,” the President said. “The aid is sorely needed by the people.”

In the past months, Jokowi has repeatedly ordered his administration to maintain transparency in the distribution of social assistance. He recently said he would appoint Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy as the ad-interim social affairs minister over the course of the legal proceedings.

Juliari is the latest in a string of PDI-P politicians accused of graft in recent years.

The KPK accused PDI-P politician Harun Masiku, alongside fellow party member Saeful Bahri, of bribing then-General Elections Commission commissioner Wahyu Setiawan in exchange for securing a seat in the House of Representatives that was left vacant by a deceased member of the ruling party. Harun is still at large after the KPK named him a bribery suspect on Jan. 9.

PDI-P secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto was grilled by the KPK earlier this year as a witness over the alleged bribery case that implicated Harun.

Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo, a former member of the House’s Commission II overseeing home affairs, has been named in court proceedings a few times as one of the lawmakers who allegedly received bribes in connection with the e-ID procurement project.

KPK’s Firli conveyed his concern for the severity of the alleged bribery as it impacted the distribution of COVID-19 social assistance, vowing to get tough on Juliari and other suspects in the graft case.

He referenced Article 2 (2) of the anticorruption law, which stipulates that death sentences may be handed down in the case of corruption committed under certain circumstances, like a national disaster or emergency.

“We understand that the COVID-19 pandemic has been declared a national disaster,” Firli said. “Of course, we will work with the witnesses and [gather] evidence to see whether [the article] can be used.”

The provision, however, is exclusive to corruption counts involving government officials who embezzle from the state budget to enrich themselves and cause state losses and is not applicable to bribery cases.

Akhiar Salmi, a legal expert from the University of Indonesia, said Juliari’s case could serve as a watershed moment that proved KPK’s stance against corrupt individuals. He commended the antigraft body’s stated commitment to pursuing the death sentence, claiming that it was a “just” punishment given the extraordinary circumstances.

“The COVID-19 emergency constitutes a critical situation stipulated in the law,” Akhiar told The Jakarta Post. “[The death sentence] is justified under the present circumstances.”

He went on to say that it was up to the KPK to dig deeper into the bribery case to find if other state officials were involved and assess whether a death sentence was applicable.

However, Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) coordinator Adnan Topan told the Post that Firli’s statement was likely a bluff, an attempt to give other politicians engaging in unlawful transactions a stern warning.

Although the death sentence was justified in accordance with the anticorruption law, the idea of actually handing down such punishment remained “far-fetched” in Indonesia, considering the absence of any historical precedent, he said.

“Instead of the death sentence, the government should explore alternative, yet harsh punishments, such as a scheme designed to impoverish graft perpetrators,” Adnan said.