East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa appeared as a witness in a corruption trial at the Surabaya Corruption Court on Thursday, February 12. The high-profile case concerns the alleged misuse of community group (pokmas) grant funds sourced from the 2019-2024 East Java Regional Budget (APBD). Governor Khofifah was summoned to testify in the trial of Kusnadi, the former Chairman of the East Java Regional House of Representatives (DPRD).
Arriving at the Surabaya Corruption Court around 1:00 PM WIB, Governor Khofifah was observed wearing a white top paired with plain black trousers.
During the intense court proceedings, the Public Prosecutor (JPU) from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) began questioning Khofifah about allegations of receiving a substantial “ijon fee” – an upfront payment or kickback. Specifically, the prosecutor inquired whether Khofifah had accepted an “ijon fee” of up to 30 percent from grant proposals related to the East Java DPRD’s ‘pokir’ (main ideas or aspirations) for the 2019-2024 period. These serious allegations originated from an Investigation Report (BAP) previously presented by the accused, Kusnadi.
“Mr. Kusnadi stated that East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa and East Java Deputy Governor Emil Elistianto Dardak received an ‘ijon fee’ of up to 30 percent from the ‘pokir’ funds from 2019 to 2024,” the Public Prosecutor declared in court on Thursday, February 12.
The prosecutor continued, emphasizing Kusnadi’s readiness to legally substantiate his statement in the BAP, which had been read aloud. “We wish to confirm this to avoid any slander here. What is your response?” the prosecutor pressed Khofifah.
In a firm rebuttal, Khofifah unequivocally denied receiving the fee mentioned by the accused, Kusnadi.
“We express our profound gratitude. We emphatically affirm that it never existed and is absolutely untrue,” Khofifah responded with conviction.
Subsequently, the prosecutor redirected the line of questioning, asking Khofifah if she was aware that these ‘pokir’ grant funds were manipulated or exploited by members of the East Java DPRD.
“Are you aware that these ‘pokir’ grant funds, or aspirations brought by council members, were then, in transactional terms, ‘sold’ by them?” the Public Prosecutor probed.
Khofifah responded by clarifying that, according to the BAP, she was not the only official implicated in receiving varying percentages of “ijon fees” from the 2019-2024 East Java APBD ‘pokir’ funds.
“Insha’Allah, no. We also wish to convey, based on what was actually in the BAP at that time, Your Honor, that East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa and East Java Deputy Governor Emil Elistianto Dardak allegedly received an ‘ijon fee’ of up to 30 percent from the 2019-2024 East Java ‘pokir’ grant submission funds. Regional Secretary Heru, Acting Regional Secretary Wachid, and Regional Secretary Adhy Karyono were also alleged to have received 5 to 10 percent from the ‘pokir’ funds,” Khofifah stated.
She further detailed the BAP’s contents, stating, “Head of Bappeda Muhammad Yasin reportedly received an ‘ijon fee’ of 3 to 5 percent. The Regional Finance and Asset Management Agency (BPKAD) was similarly implicated. All heads of Regional Apparatus Organizations (OPDs) reportedly received 3 to 5 percent.”
However, Khofifah promptly challenged the mathematical plausibility of these alleged “ijon fee” percentages distributed to the various Regional Apparatus Organizations (OPDs), suggesting the calculations were fundamentally flawed.
“May I have permission, Your Honor. If these figures are totaled, for instance, if it’s 5 percent each, the sum would reach an astonishing 390 percent. If the OPDs were to receive 3 percent each, it would still total 236 percent. I believe these figures, mathematically, warrant scrutiny regarding the circumstances under which this explanation was provided by the accused,” she asserted, pointing to the inconsistencies.
Following the conclusion of the court session, Khofifah extended an apology for her prior absence from the previous hearing held on Thursday, February 5.
“Friends, thank you all. Today, I am present as a witness in this trial. I began by offering my apologies, as I had previously been unable to fulfill the summons to testify due to a simultaneous plenary session of the East Java DPRD. At the same time, the Deputy Governor was attending a coordination meeting in Jakarta, and the Regional Secretary had duties outside the city, which necessitated us to divide our responsibilities,” she explained.
She expressed gratitude for the opportunity to clarify the situation, adding, “Today I am here to fulfill the summons as a witness. I am grateful for this opportunity to explain about what? An admission or an accusation.”
Khofifah then forcefully reiterated her strong denial regarding the accusation of receiving a 30 percent “ijon fee,” as stated by the accused, Kusnadi, in the BAP.
“The accusation from the accused is that in the process of submitting grant funds, there was a ‘fee,’ an ‘ijon’ to the Governor of 30 percent, Deputy Governor of 30 percent, Regional Secretary of 10 percent, and OPDs of 3 to 5 percent. Friends, there are 64 OPDs in the Provincial Government. If you just multiply 64 by 3, what does that give you? Almost 200,” she calculated aloud, underscoring the absurdity of the figures.
“If multiplied by 4, it’s around 250 percent. If multiplied by 5, it’s over 300 percent. It already feels irrational. And that’s not even counting the alleged portions for the Governor, Deputy Governor, and Regional Secretary. So, what was accused, and what many friends also reported, I want to convey and affirm that it is not true. That it is not true. Friends, you can see mathematically the percentage is already over 300 percent. That means it is not true, and I want to convey to all people of East Java that what was accused is not true,” she concluded, directly addressing the public and vehemently refuting the allegations.
Summary
East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa appeared as a witness at the Surabaya Corruption Court on Thursday, February 12, in a trial concerning the alleged misuse of community grant funds. She testified in the corruption case of former East Java DPRD Chairman Kusnadi. The public prosecutor questioned Khofifah about allegations, based on Kusnadi’s BAP, that she received a 30 percent “ijon fee” from grant proposals. Khofifah firmly denied these accusations, stating they were “absolutely untrue.”
Khofifah also clarified that the BAP implicated other officials, including the Deputy Governor and various Regional Apparatus Organizations (OPDs), in receiving alleged “ijon fees” ranging from 3% to 30%. She challenged the mathematical plausibility of these percentages, arguing that totaling them would significantly exceed 100%, thus proving the figures were irrational. The Governor vehemently reiterated her strong denial, emphasizing to the public that the accusations against her and other officials were false.