Today I'm enjoying the last vestiges of my Eid holiday and trying to prepare for school which is coming in few days. One of the assignments that I have over holiday (that sucks, huh?) is a research about the beef gate graft scandal that was exposed by the media in the last months or so. Since I hadn't gotten a subscription to my favorite newspaper, the Jakarta Post, last month (I have just subscribed this August), I was caught in the dark about this scandal. Although, I heard it repeatedly on my television screen. So, I guess that this is a quite big deal.
Then, I thought, "Hey, what's the point of making a blog if you're not going to consistently post anything in it?" Well, for starters, I have made some lists about the potential topics that I'm going to post. However, since I am now having the urge to do my school works (that's not happening often, believe me), I suppose that I should act on that urge before it leaves me completely lazy and utterly useless.
So now I'm writing and researching, and I'm glad to reap benefits from having this blog as my research notes.
Basically, it is a scandal regarding a corruption in the management of imported beef quota in which the responsible government department unfairly favored certain parties in the motive of getting money. I wonder, beef? Of all things, really? Even hearing the, um..., object of the scandal had me shaking my heads and stifling my giggles in front of my laptop. Well, that's about all my knowledge about this scandal. I know, I can be very ignorant if I want to. So, let's get on to the research then! (before I'm going to annoy you with my commentaries about the scandal that I almost know nothing of :p)
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| Source: metrotvnews.com |
The main figure in this scandal is PT. Indoguna Utama, the company which imports beef from Australia, New Zealand and the USA. The founder and current top officer of the company is Maria Elizabeth Liman. Aside from beef, the company also circulates seafood, caviar, and various dairy products. Its clients are multinationals, comprising of hotels and famous restaurants.
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| Source: merdeka.com |
Before the scandal, PT. Indoguna Utama had proposed a request for beef quota addition, but sadly it was rejected by the Ministry of Agriculture. Here's where supposedly the root of the problem is located. First, you need to know the second party inside this scandal, which is the Ministry of Agriculture itself. This department is headed by Suswono, which has been long supported by an Islamic-based party called PKS (Partai Keadilan Sejahtera or Prosperous Justice Party). The president of PKS was Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq (has now been removed from his position after the scandal) who also held the position as one of the nation's representative committees. The involvement of Suswono didn't begin until later in the story, though.
It all started on December 2012, when PKS offered Maria as the president of PT. Indoguna Utama the opportunity to donate some money for an event called "Safari Dakwah PKS". Maria agreed and transferred an amount of Rp. 300 million to the party. There was nothing wrong with this charitable exchange. However, the real problem began one month later where the second exchange between both parties became much shadier.
PKS President Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq had a colleague, Ahmad Fathanah, who would play a progressively big part in the scandal as the money-mediating kind of person. Fathanah was scheduled to meet with Maria and Arya Abdi Effendi, who is the son of Maria, in Angus Steak House Restaurant, located in Senayan City. In the exchange, Fathanah asked for an amount of Rp. 1 million to be used for "operational necessities" of Ishaaq. He asked this in exchange of prioritizing PT. Indoguna Utama whenever there is an import quota increase. This deal was later revealed to be a part of Rp. 40 millions as "commitment fee". (Commitment for what? If I were in Maria's shoes, I would probably scandalized because the one who needed to keep his commitment is the PKS party. Certainly, it is not PT. Indoguna who would have paid such a big amount of money if their exchange was going as they had planned, right? Oh, well..)
Well, apparently the company's immediate willingness to follow through the request might have something to do with this. I found out during my research of PT. Indoguna Utama's company background that the company had been on government's blacklist for a period of time. Why? One of its operations in importing beef had gone before the permission (SPP or Surat Persetujuan Pemasukan) was issued. The strange thing was that PT. Indoguna and two of its branch companies had gotten an increase in import quote during the period of 2011 to January 2012, while still being on the blacklist, reportedly. Nevertheless, when being confronted by this turn of event, the Minister of Agriculture, Suswono, replied that the company had not been on the blacklist for sometime because it had fulfilled the sanction (which is by reexporting the illegally imported amount). Please do take note of Suswono's response in this part.
Okay, back to the story! We were previously at the moment where Maria said OK to the offer. She then promised Fathanah that the money would be delivered the next day, on 29 January 2013. At the afternoon of the next day, Fathanah came to the office of PT. Indoguna Utama. There, he was directed to a meeting room to conduct a meeting with Arya Abdi Effendi and Juard Effendi (Juard is the uncle of Arya). Both are top officials of the company founded by Arya's mother and Juard's sister.
The money asked was delivered to Fathanah's car, being brought by Juard and Rudy Susanto, each bringing Rp. 500 millions. Who is Rudy Susanto? Susanto is the commissioner of PT. Berkat Mandiri Prima. It was reported that the only reason he was there (and involved) in the first place is to bring the Rp. 500 million cash asked by PT. Indoguna which was a part of PT. Berkat Mandiri Prima's more than Rp. 670 million debt. I didn't question the truthfulness of this report because of the fact that PT. Berkat Mandiri Prima never did enter the list of companies with an additional increase of import quote. There was simply no benefit for Susanto to be involved.
The money was placed at the back of the car, practically hidden from the view. Ahmad contacted Luthfi informing that the money had been received. Next, Fathanah went to Hotel Le Meredien in Jakarta to a meeting with Maharani Suciyono. Fathanah paid her an amount of Rp. 10 million (taken from the alleged Rp. 1 billion) to play date with her. Yes, she is, for the lack of a better term, a chick. It was then that the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) caught them.
KPK confiscated the first Rp. 500 millions in a black plastic bag and the other Rp. 480 millions in a white box, both of which were located in the back seat of the car. Where did the Rp. 20 millions go? Well, apparently Ahmad Fathanah was getting paid for his duty in "intermediating", in which he used the Rp. 10 millions to pay Maharani and Rp. 10 millions for himself - both of which were confiscated by the KPK. Poor Ahmad.... (sarcasm here)
Well, at this point, some certain people had already been in trouble with the authority. Ahmad Fathanah, for one, and then there are those PT. Indoguna family clan: Maria, Arya and Juard, and let's not forget about the Minister of Agriculture himself, Suswono.
There are some questions that I come up during all of these readings. Some of them I managed to find the answers to, but some others I will save for the next entry.
Suswono's involvement was a bit confusing to me. You have already noted before that he denied the statement that PT. Indoguna was blacklisted while receiving favors. Well, I kind of smell something here. It is said that he only released the counterargument after the fact had been brought to him. To give him the benefit of the doubt, I would say that he could have forgotten that important detail; however, I'm still open to the possibility that there was indeed a foul play here, considering how weird it was having the information of PT. Indoguna's blacklisted status easily accessed while the information of it being lifted hidden. That made no sense, and I figured the investigators on this case had thought so too, seeing Suswono's name in a pretty bad light (not necessarily being a suspect, though). When I researched further, I found out for real the exact role Suswono played in this event. There was a recording of conversation between Suswono and, guess who?, Luthfi. It says. "there will be some money as a thank you gift from PT. Indoguna." Now we know then.
The paragraph above would be a concrete proof that Suswono was indeed guiltily involved if there wasn't this contradicting point however. It is described that Luthfi wanted to persuade Suswono regarding the importance of beef quota import increase to PT. Indoguna. That is the reason why Maria was asked to prepare a presentation and deliver it in front of Suswono during the event of "Safari Dakwah PKS". Why? Maybe, Luthfi wanted Suswono to agree with his plan to prioritize the increase of quota for PT. Indoguna? To make him see the same vision? To make him act out of charitability? Here's my thought: Suswono can be innocent, as he was only persuaded. Hmmm.... I wonder how charismatic and persuasive all those PKS people can be...
Well, I'll chalk it up for look up later then! Next.
How can Maria not become a suspect?
I will have to give you the source later but it is reported that Arya Abdi Effendi and Juard Effendi had become suspects instead of Maria.
Who had tipped off KPK regarding their rather nefarious plot?
Well, I'm kind of amazed that the KPK could act that fast in the span of 24 hours. I mean, even the money had not been properly out of the complex. Way to go, sirs!
Alright, this has been one long post. I'm going to cut it off here and continue tomorrow. I am very much aware that the case has almost been closed right now, and I'm probably too late in investigating it now. So, if you readers have more updated knowledge regarding this case, or you just want to voice your opinion here, well, feel free I guess! I will very much appreciate it.
