Government Committed to Eradicating Online Gambling, Two Money Laundering Suspects Arrested

Jakarta – The government has shown its seriousness in eradicating online gambling practices by taking firm steps against the perpetrators involved.

Related to this, the Directorate of Special Economic Crimes (Dittipideksus) of the National Police Criminal Investigation Unit has named two suspects in the Money Laundering (TPPU) case of online gambling proceeds that were diverted to the construction of the Aruss Hotel in Semarang, Central Java.

The Director of Dittipideksus of the National Police Criminal Investigation Unit, Brigadier General Pol Helfi Assegaf, revealed that the two suspects consisted of PT AJP as a corporation and FH as an individual.

“The first suspect is the PT AJP corporation which has an office at the Aruss Hotel, Semarang. Then the second suspect is FH,” he said.

According to Helfi, PT AJP acts as a receptacle for money from online gambling crimes that are distributed by FH. FH himself is known to serve as a commissioner at PT AJP.

“The flow of funds received by FH went into PT AJP’s account. This was to obscure the origin of the money received by PT AJP. So it was managed by PT AJP, a hotel was built, then the hotel’s operational results were enjoyed by FH,” he explained.

The money laundered was channeled by FH through five different accounts in the names of several individuals, as well as through intermediaries with the initials GP and AS. For his actions, PT AJP was charged with Article 6 Jo Article 69 of Law Number 8 of 2010 concerning TPPU and a number of other articles with the threat of a fine of up to IDR 100 billion. FH was also charged with a similar article with the threat of a heavy sentence.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Communication and Digital (Menkomdigi), Meutya Hafid, emphasized the importance of taking firm steps to eradicate digital crimes, including online gambling. “And I leave a message for online gambling and crimes such as illegal online loans and other financial crimes, including pornography, including human trafficking in our digital space. Please do it properly and remain transparent and open,” said Meutya.

He also emphasized that the public should be given open information through the mass media regarding the handling of these cases.

“This information must be conveyed to the public through the mass media,” he added.

This step shows the government’s commitment to mitigating the negative impacts of online gambling while taking firm action against the perpetrators involved.