Indonesia’s PPATK to name lawmakers in online gambling

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia’s Financial Transaction Reporting and Analysis Center (PPATK) will submit a list of names of legislators suspected of playing or being involved in online gambling to the House of Representatives’ (DPR’s) Honor Council (MKD).

At a meeting with Commission III of the DPR in Jakarta on Wednesday, PPATK Head Ivan Yustiavandana revealed that more than one thousand DPR and Regional Representative Council (DPRD) members were involved in the illegal activity.

“More than one thousand people in the DPR and DPRD, including their secretariats, are involved in online gambling,” he remarked while adding that over 63 thousand transactions were recorded, with a total value of around Rp25 billion (approximately US$1.53 million).

Yustiavandana made this revelation while responding to a request from Deputy Chairman of Commission III Habiburokhman for the PPATK to reveal data on legislators who violated the code of ethics and criminal law by playing online gambling.

“You can submit it to the MKD so that we can take a stance,” Habiburokhman told the PPATK head.

Related news: OJK urges families to be first line of defense against online gambling

On June 14, President Joko Widodo signed a presidential decree establishing the Online Gambling Eradication Task Force led by Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Hadi Tjahjanto.

Tjahjanto stated on June 21 that the task force will block access to online gambling platforms.

The PPATK has reported that four to five thousand bank accounts are suspected of being used in online gambling-related activities.

The agency will announce suspected bank accounts to their owners, and if within 30 days, no one admits ownership of the accounts, then funds in those accounts will be handed over to the state.

Related news: Hopes pinned on Indonesia’s task force for eradicating online gambling

Translator: Bagus Ahmad Rizaldi, Anton Santoso
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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