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President Prabowo Emphasizes Budget Cuts, Asks for Understanding

Jakarta, Dec 30 (ISA/EVA) – President Prabowo Subianto once again stressed the importance of budget cuts, apologizing to ministries and institutions that didn’t receive their anticipated allocations. Speaking during the Coordinating Meeting for National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) 2025-2029 at the Bappenas Building in Jakarta, Prabowo acknowledged the challenging situation.

"Please understand that there are priorities, and thus some ministries and institutions may not receive the budget they anticipated," Prabowo said. He urged them to support the financial constraints, hoping not to disrupt Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani’s work.

Prabowo recounted his experiences as Minister of Defense when he faced similar constraints from then-Finance Minister Sri Mulyani. He also shared a story about his predecessor, Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, who faced budgetary challenges. Prabowo acknowledged the significance of defense but emphasized the importance of education, infrastructure, and other sectors.

"I had to think carefully about national defense, but children need to eat, don’t they? Educators deserve better wages, and judges should have decent housing. We cannot have judges living under bad conditions," Prabowo stated, referencing a recent ruling on a high-profile corruption case.

Watch Video: ‘Prabowo criticizes judges sentence: Rampant trillion-dollar plunder, sentence is just a few years’

KPK Clarifies: No Official Tersangka Named in BI CSR Fund Misuse Allegation

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has corrected an earlier statement regarding the designation of two individuals as suspects in the alleged misuse of corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds by Bank Indonesia (BI). KPK chairperson Tessa Mahardhika clarified that no official suspects have been named yet in the case.

"Let me clarify that the general letter of investigation (sprindik) issued so far does not mention any suspects," Tessa explained at the KPK building in Jakarta on Thursday (19/12/2024).

Earlier, KPK’s Deputy for Enforcement and Execution, Irjen Rudi Setiawan, had stated that two suspects had been identified in the case. Tessa attributed this discrepancy to a likely mix-up, as Rudi might have been referring to another case while-speaking.

"In connection with what was stated by the Deputy, it’s possible that he mistakenly or mixed-up cases," Tessa noted, adding that the letter of investigation issued so far did not mention any suspects.

Tessa further explained that KPK has the option to issue a general sprindik without naming suspects. The commission may still issue letters of investigation that do include suspects when necessary.

Previously, KPK announced that it had identified two suspects in the alleged misuse of BI’s CSR funds. The commission is expected to soon announce the suspects’ identities. However, Deputy Rudi refrained from confirming whether any members of the House of Representatives (DPR) were involved.

"There are several suspects that we have identified. Two people have been named as suspects," Rudi said, without providing further details.

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"Prabowo’s Defense Budget Reignited: Sri Mulyani’s Impact as Minister of Defense"

Serious Blunder in Bank Indonesia CSR Corruption Case: Only Two Suspects?