Ex-Minister Mahfud MD avoids comment on gambling kingpin "T"

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Former top security minister in President Joko Widodo's administration, Mahfud MD, insisted that he has no authority to respond to journalists' questions about the online gambling kingpin with the initial "T."

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event to commemorate the National Committee of Indonesian Youth's (KNPI) 51st Anniversary here on Saturday (July 27), he emphasized that he is no longer the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs.

Mahfud was responding to reporters' questions about the suggestion by the Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Agency (BP2MI) Head, Benny Rhamdani, that he had heard about the figure with the initial "T."

Rhamdani alleged that "T" is the mastermind behind online gambling and scamming in Indonesia, operating from Cambodia. He also noted that it is actually very easy to catch the actors behind online businesses in Cambodia and online scams.

As reported earlier, at the inauguration of the Indonesian migrant workers' volunteer community for North Sumatra on Tuesday, July 23, Rhamdani said he had even revealed the name of the person with the initial "T" to President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) during a meeting at the presidential palace.

The meeting was attended by some of Jokowi's Cabinet members, including the chiefs of the Indonesian police and military, as well as several ministers, according to him. He did not provide details on when it took place.

"I only mentioned the initial 'T.' I mentioned this in front of the President. You can ask the then Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, Mr. Mahfud MD, about that," Rhamdani said.

He added that President Jokowi and National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo were startled by the name he revealed during the closed-door meeting.

"The person in question is beyond the reach of our law, perhaps even since this country was founded," Rhamdani claimed.

On the sidelines of his visit to Batang, Central Java, on Friday (July 26), President Jokowi referred reporters' questions to Rhamdani, saying that it was the BP2MI head who first disclosed the figure's initial.

Jokowi also said that he had no knowledge about the figure suspected of being behind the online gambling activities.

The Indonesian Police, meanwhile, has planned to summon Benny Rhamdani over his remarks about the identity of the online gambling kingpin on Monday, July 29.

"We will summon the BP2MI chief as a witness on Monday (July 29)," Brigadier General Djuhandani Rahardjo Puro, Director for General Crime Investigation of the Police's Criminal Investigation Agency, said.