Tjitjik Srie Tjahjandarie, who appeared at the KPK’s Red and White Building here on Friday, was asked about the legal basis for procedures for admitting new students in connection with the alleged bribery case in student admissions at Unila in 2022, which has landed its former rector, Karomani, and three other officials under the commission’s scanner.
"The witness was present and confirmed the knowledge of the witness, including the legal basis, principles, mechanisms, and procedures for admitting new students," head of the news section at the KPK, Ali Fikri, informed here on Saturday.
KPK also questioned him about the role of the ministry and the rector in accepting new students.
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The KPK has named four suspects in the case: Karomani (KRM), deputy chancellor I for academic affairs at Unila, Heryandi (HY), and chair of the Unila Senate, Muhammad Basri (MB), for allegedly taking bribes, and Andi Desfiandi (AD) for allegedly giving bribes in his private capacity.
Providing details about the case, the commission informed that KRM, who served as Unila Rector during the 2020–2024 period, had authority over the mechanism for the University of Lampung’s Independent Admission Selection for the 2022 academic year.
The commission suspects that during the independent admission process, KRM got directly involved in student selection and directed HY, MB, and head of the planning and public relations bureau of Unila, Budi Sutomo, to make a “personal” selection depending on the financial status of students' parents.
If they wanted, prospective students could reportedly be “assisted” in getting admitted if they handed over a certain sum on top of the money paid officially under the university's mechanism.
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KRM is also suspected of giving special roles and tasks to HY, MB, and Sutomo to collect sums of money that were agreed upon with the parents of prospective students. The amount of money varied from Rp100 million to Rp350 million per parent.
KRM reportedly collected Rp603 million from them through a lecturer, Mualimin. Around Rp575 million of it was allegedly meant for KRM's personal use.
The commission found that KRM also received some money that Sutomo and MB obtained from the parents of students who were accepted under KRM's orders.
The money totaling Rp4.4 billion was reportedly diverted in the form of time deposits, gold bars, while some of it was kept as cash.
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Translator: Benardy F, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2022
