Ministry of Transportation official accused of demanding 5% fee

An official from Indonesia’s Ministry of Transportation, Harno Trimadi, is accused of demanding a 5 percent commitment fee from PT KA Properti Manajemen (KAPM) to secure level crossing projects in Java and Sumatra for the 2022 fiscal year.

According to an indictment by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) read at the Central Jakarta District Court, the demand was made during a December 2021 meeting. At the time, KAPM’s then-CEO, Yoseph Ibrahim, was meeting with Trimadi to collect an unpaid Rp 5.2 billion debt for railway repairs completed following floods in Lemah Abang in 2021.

Prosecutors allege that Trimadi used the prospect of the 2022 projects as leverage, suggesting the fee was necessary for KAPM to obtain the work packages and gain experience within the Directorate General of Railways.