VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesians head to the polls on Feb 14, 2024, in what has been called the world's biggest single-day elections. (File photo: Reuters/Willy Kurniawan) - 

SINGAPORE/JAKARTA: Indonesia’s financial intelligence government agency has found suspicious transactions involving trillions of rupiah related to the upcoming legislative elections. The transactions – one trillion rupiah is about US$64.4 million – implicate thousands of individuals with “various political affiliates”, said the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK).

"We have observed irregularities that signal potential illicit payments,” PPATK head Ivan Yustiavandana told local media.

“We are talking trillions, we are talking very large numbers, we are talking thousands of names, we are talking about all political parties.” 

The discovery occurs ahead of over 204 million Indonesians casting their votes on Feb 14, 2024 in what has been called the world's biggest single-day elections. 

Besides a new president and vice-president, Indonesians will also elect about 20,000 national, provincial and regency level parliamentary members, as well as senators. 

In November next year, Indonesians will elect their governors, regents and mayors.

PPATK did not name any candidates involved but said the investigation was into the accounts of people listed as registered legislative candidates.

According to the Jawa Pos news site, suspicions began when the PPATK noticed the special campaign fund accounts (RKDK) of parties, which are used to finance political campaigns, were relatively stagnant, if not flat.

Political parties are required to provide initial campaign fund reports and special campaign fund accounts (RKDK) to Indonesia’s General Elections Commission (KPU) no later than 14 days after they are determined as election participants, according to the commission’s website.

An RKDK account for campaigning parties must be set up before the campaign period, which began on Nov 28, and closes after the counting of votes ends.

While the RKDKs remained relatively stagnant, the financial intelligence agency noticed significant transactions in other accounts of the registered legislative candidates, which reached trillions of rupiah and dramatically increased in the second half of this year.  

"This indicates a discrepancy. We wonder, where does the financing come from if the RKDK is not active?" Mr Ivan reportedly said. 

President Joko Widodo on Tuesday instructed law enforcement agencies to follow up on the findings of PPATK, according to Tempo. 

“Everything must be done according to the existing rules … According to the rules, there will be legal procedures,” he said. 

The discovery has highlighted the “power of money” in Indonesia’s elections, an anti-corruption official told CNA.

According to research by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), success in legislative and regional head elections is 95.5 per cent determined by money, said Mr Amir Arief, the commission’s director of Anti-Corruption Socialisation and Campaign//CNA-VOI