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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) raided former West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil’s residence on Jalan Gunung Kencana Mas, Ciumbuleuit, Bandung, today. The search is linked to an alleged corruption case involving advertising funds at the West Java and Banten Regional Development Bank (Bank BJB).
KPK Deputy Chairman Fitroh Rohcahyanto confirmed the operation. "That's correct," he stated when contacted by Tempo on Monday, March 10, 2025.
The KPK’s Enforcement and Execution Team also searched multiple locations in Bandung related to the case. However, Fitroh declined to disclose specific details.
“There is indeed an investigation in Bandung concerning the BJB case,” he added.
Earlier, the KPK had issued an investigation order regarding the alleged misappropriation of BJB’s advertising funds. KPK Director of Investigation and the Task Force will coordinate with other law enforcement agencies handling the case as part of the follow-up process.
"Yes, because we have issued an investigation order, if there is information that other law enforcement agencies are handling it, the task of the Director of Investigation and the Task Force is to coordinate," said Setyo when met at the Anti-Corruption Education Center building on Wednesday, March 5, 2025.
He said that a decision would be made after coordination between the KPK and other law enforcement agencies handling the same case. According to the information received, the Regional Police and/or the High Prosecutors Office of West Java are said to be handling the corruption case in BJB.
As for the follow-up on the status of the five suspects, Setyo said, it is the authority of the investigator, Director of Investigation, and Deputy of Enforcement and Execution. The five suspects obtained by Tempo are two top officials of BJB, and the leaders of three advertising agencies, one of which is PT. CKSB.
Based on Tempo Magazine's report in the September 22, 2024 edition entitled 'Who is Involved in BJB Advertising Budget Corruption', news of the alleged corruption of BJB advertising funds sparked discussions among KPK investigators and officials.
On Tuesday, August 27, 2024, the then Deputy Chairman of the KPK, Alexander Marwata had hinted that the anti-corruption commission was investigating this case. Eighteen days later, rumors circulated that there were suspects in the corruption case of Bank BJB.
On the same day, KPK Investigation Director Asep Guntur Rahayu confirmed the investigation, but had not issued an investigation order yet.
The next day, on Sunday, September 15, 2024, KPK Spokesperson Tessa Mahardhika Sugiarto clarified reports about the BJB case investigation, including the suspect designation. "No investigation order has been issued yet," Tessa told reporters.
Previously, a KPK law enforcement official confirmed that the anti-corruption commission had conducted an exposure meeting on the BJB case in early September 2024. All participants reportedly agreed to escalate the case to the investigation stage.
The meeting also identified five potential suspects—two Bank BJB officials and three individuals from the private sector—allegedly involved in inflating the advertising budget, causing financial losses to the bank, which is majority-owned by the West Java Provincial Government.
The formal determination of suspects is pending an official investigation letter. However, Tessa declined to comment on why the letter had not yet been issued.
"My reference is the investigation order registry, and as of now, there is none," she stated.
A glimpse into Bank BJB alleged corruption case
The state's financial loss in the Bank BJB case was detailed in a special audit report numbered 20/LHP/XVII.BDG/03/2024, issued on March 6, 2024. The document contains audit results of several activities conducted by PT Bank Pembangunan Daerah Jawa Barat dan Banten for the 2021-2023 fiscal years. One key aspect reviewed was the realization of product promotion budget management and advertising expenses, which amounted to Rp 801 billion.
A major point of concern was the allocation of Rp 341 billion for mass media advertising. The report states that Bank BJB collaborated with six agency companies as intermediaries with media outlets.
An investigation by the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) detected a financial leakage of Rp 28 billion. This discrepancy arose because the actual amount received by the media differed significantly from Bank BJB’s expenditures.
Of the Rp 37.9 billion billed to Bank BJB, only Rp 9.7 billion in television advertising costs could be verified. This difference was deemed unreasonable, as the contract documents stipulated that agency commissions should only be 1-2 percent of the aired advertisement value.
Mutia Yuantisya contributed to the writing of this article.
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