Ubedilah Badrun, a political lecturer at the Jakarta State University, has reported Kaesang Pangarep, chairman of the Indonesia Solidarity Party (PSI) and the youngest son of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) over gratuity allegation in regards with the use of a private jet on his recent trip to the United States.
“I reported alleged provision of facility and gratuity in regards with the use of private jet for Kaesang last week,” Ubedilah, who is also Director at political think tank Puspol Indonesia, told Indonesia Business Post on Monday, September 9, 2024.
Kaesang and his wife Erina Gudono traveled to the United States on a Gulfstream G650ER private jet on August 21, 2024.
“Renting a private jet from Indonesia to the US costs almost Rp10 billion (US$649.456). Should Kaesang rent the private jet, he should have told where the money he used to rent the private jet came from. He (Kaesang) only had business since his father became president,” Ubedilah said.
He said further that as son of a pesident, Kaesang exhibited a luxury lifestyle while the Indonesian people are having a hard time, with 9.89 million young people are currently jobless.
“So the KPK should investigate the flexing attitude of Jokowi’s son and his wife,” Ubedilah said.
Besides Ubedilah, Executive director of the Indonesian Antigraft Society (MAKI) Boyamin Saiman also handed over data on Kaesang Pengarep’s gratuity to the KPK.
Boyamin said he had obtained data showing that the private jet used by Kaesang and his wife is allegedly owned by Singapore e-commerce company Shopee.
On April 23, 2021 Shopee signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Kaesang’s brother who was then Mayor of Surakarta. In the MOU, it is stipulated that Shopee can use land and office owned by the local government as training center.
“Several literature and government regulation including the regulation of religious ministry stated that the provision of facilities for family members including wife , children and brother of a government official is considered as gratuity,” he said.
Money laundering and gratuity
Ubedilah said KPK needed to investigate the source of Jokowi’s sons wealth, citing that on January 10, 2022 he filed a report to KPK on alleged corruption, collusion and nepotism involving Jokowi”s sons Gibran Rakabuming Raka and Kaesang Pangarep.
According to Ubedilah, in 2019, a venture capital with cultural affiliation to Sinarmas Group − Alpha JWC Ventures − injected around one hundred billion rupiahs to start-ups owned by Gibran and Kaesang. Ten days after the injection, former managing director of Sinarmas Gandhi Sulistiyanto was appointed as Indonesian ambassador to South Korea.
Sinar Mas, Alpha JWC Ventures, Gibran and Kaesang have denied the allegations through national media.
Ubedilah suspected that Kaesang and Gibran received money deposit from oligarch. “Their source of wealth is not from their business,” he said.
