DPD Senator Suspectedly Involved in Casino Money Laundering

Monday 16th December 2019

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) on Friday announced the discovery of a number of money laundering schemes by regional heads through casinos.

"PPATK investigated the financial transactions of a number of regional heads allegedly placing a significant amount of foreign exchange money up to USD50 billion to a casino account overseas," said PPATK Head, Ki Agus Badaruddin, in the institution's year-end event on Friday, December 13.

PPATK not only suspects regional heads in this money laundering scheme but also believes a Regional Representative Council (DPD) senator is involved in this illegal scheme.

According to the PPATK official documents, the senator allegedly cashed out to gamble at a casino in Genting Highland, Malaysia. The person involved is believed to gamble, with his wife, using money obtained from criminal activities.

The two individuals say PPATK, from 2011 to 2018 filed 23 financial transactions and 47 cash transaction reports which involves gambling transactions up to RM50.7 million in 2011 alone with cash up to RM43.9 million. This activity continued until 2018.

They claim the total amount of money that circled amounts to RM208.9 million in today's exchange, which is a staggering Rp702.5 billion. However, PPATK Chairman Badaruddin neither denied or confirmed the documents and only stated that casino money laundering by an Indonesian regional state-official is considered to be a new modus operandi.

Tempo reached out for a confirmation to three DPD members for the 2014-2019 term; former DPD speaker Oesman Sapta Odang and former deputy speaker Nono Sampono. However, our request for interviews has yet been answered.

However, former DPD deputy speaker Akhmad Muqowam said to Tempo via text message that no DPD official has ever participated in casino gambling activities. He also stated that no rules explicitly mention a ban for a senator to gamble in casinos.

LINDA TRIANITA