Minister Dody insists he knows nothing about the raid on the Ministry of Public Works

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo has emphasised that he is unaware of the case underlying the search conducted by investigators from the Jakarta High Prosecutor’s Office at his ministry, even swearing an oath to affirm his lack of knowledge regarding the matter. Dody took the oath of ignorance about the case when responding to media questions during a press conference in Jakarta on Friday, confirming whether he had held internal discussions with the previous minister about the search reportedly linked to the 2023 and 2024 state budget cases. “No, there hasn’t been (any discussion with the previous minister). Is this (the search case about the state budget) for 2023-2024? I don’t even know. No, I really don’t know, I swear by Allah, by the Prophet, I don’t know,” he said. According to Dody, there is no need for internal discussions because the case is already in the realm of law enforcement, so his ministry no longer has the authority to interfere with the ongoing investigation process. “But, I think there’s no need to discuss, why discuss again? Because this matter has already crossed over to another place, so it’s not our realm,” Dody stated. He also emphasised that active steps from his institution could be seen as obstruction of justice, so he chose to leave it entirely to law enforcement authorities to ensure the process runs transparently and accountably. “If I do something later, it might be seen as this, obstruction of justice. But, never mind, it’s all already happened,” he added. On that occasion, Dody said that his office up to the office of Deputy Minister of Public Works Diana Kusumastuti was part of the search conducted by investigators from the Jakarta High Prosecutor’s Office. “Oh yes (the Minister’s and Deputy Minister’s offices were searched by Jakarta High Prosecutor’s Office personnel). So, like this, I gave permission to the investigators to search all the rooms in the Ministry of Public Works,” he said. Dody added that the investigators were initially cautious about entering the minister’s room due to his position as the president’s aide, so he felt the need to first seek special permission from President Prabowo Subianto. He then reported directly to President Prabowo regarding the plan to grant full access to the investigators to enter all rooms, including the minister’s office. In addition to the minister’s and deputy minister’s offices, the search was also carried out at the building of the Directorate General of Urban Development and the Directorate of Water Resources, including the ministry’s main building. From the search, the Jakarta High Prosecutor’s Office investigators seized 16 items. The types of items seized were mostly documents, including one computer unit and printouts. The most documents were seized from the Directorate General of Urban Development.