Kharishar Kahfi, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has named Rachmat Yasin, former regent of Bogor, West Java, a suspect for allegedly accepting gratuities during his term in office.
During a press briefing on Tuesday, KPK deputy chairwoman Basaria Panjaitan said the antigraft body named him a suspect for allegedly embezzling Rp 8.93 billion (US$629,761) from various agencies in the regency administration during his time as regent between 2009 and 2014. Rachmat allegedly ordered the agencies to use money from various state projects for his personal interests, including his reelection campaign as Bogor regent.
"Each agency later paid him some money that came from the honorarium and incentives for each agency's employees, illegal levies from parties requesting permits at the administration as well as levies from corporations that won projects across the regency," Basaria said.
Investigators also suspect that Rachmat accepted gratuities in the form of a 20-hectare plot of land – obtained from a land owner in Jonggol district who intended to build an Islamic boarding school – and a premium multipurpose Toyota Vellfire valued at Rp 825 million.
"[Rachmat] allegedly asked a businessman to buy him the car. The former regent allegedly knew the businessman personally and the latter was part of [Rachmat]'s campaign team during the election," Basaria said.
The alleged graft was revealed roughly a month after Rachmat completed his prison term for accepting a bribe of Rp 4.5 billion from a businessman in a case related to the issuance of a forest conversion permit in Bogor. The corruption court sentenced him to five years and six months' imprisonment in 2014 for his crime.