Jakarta. The Financial Transactions Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) revealed that 1,000 members of the House of Representatives (DPR) and Regional Legislative Councils (DPRD) are involved in online gambling.
“We’ve identified over 1,000 legislators from both the central and regional levels,” said Ivan Yustiavandana, Head of PPATK, during a session with DPR’s Commission III at the Parliament Complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Wednesday.
With 575 members in the 2019-2024 DPR and 2,232 in the DPRD, Ivan stated that his agency would submit the names of DPR members involved in online gambling to Commission III and the DPR Ethics Council (MKD) for further action.
Ivan also noted that staff within the DPR Secretariat were found to be participating in online gambling activities.
“We will be sending out notifications. This includes over 1,000 individuals from the DPR, DPRD, and within the DPR Secretariat,” Ivan emphasized.
Furthermore, Ivan disclosed that his agency had identified over 63,000 transactions involving DPR and DPRD members.
“The total value amounts to nearly Rp 25 billion ($410,268), with transactions ranging from hundreds of thousands to billions of rupiah, and one individual involved in transactions totaling billions,” Ivan concluded.
Deputy Chairperson of DPR’s Commission III, Habiburokhman, urged PPATK to expose and reveal the names of lawmakers suspected of engaging in online gambling. According to Habiburokhman, participation in online gambling not only violates criminal laws but also breaches ethical codes, allowing the DPR Ethics Council to take necessary steps against implicated members.
“We need to know if there are DPR members involved in online gambling. This is important for the Ethics Council to address,” Habiburokhman said during the meeting with PPATK.
Habiburokhman called on PPATK to provide the names of DPR members involved in online gambling so that the DPR Ethics Council could take appropriate measures. “This is a serious criminal offense and a societal ailment affecting a significant number of people,” he explained.
The Indonesian government has intensified its crackdown on online gambling, with President Joko Widodo establishing a Task Force for Eradicating Online Gambling led by Chief Security Minister Hadi Tjahjanto.
Recent incidents linked to online gambling have resulted in various criminal cases, including domestic violence cases involving a police officer in East Java.
In May, a military officer in Papua tragically ended his life due to debts amounting to Rp 819.3 million incurred from online gambling.
Earlier this month in Mojokerto, East Java, a policewoman allegedly set fire to her police officer husband, resulting in his death, after discovering he had squandered his annual bonus on online gambling.
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