Jakarta. The Indonesian government has removed 228,000 individuals from its social assistance program after a joint investigation found they were either linked to online gambling or no longer met the criteria for financial aid.

The decision followed a comprehensive review conducted by the Social Affairs Ministry in collaboration with the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK).

Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf said Thursday that the purge is part of an ongoing effort to improve the accuracy and integrity of the aid distribution system, in line with the directives of President Prabowo Subianto.

“We want social assistance to reach the truly deserving. If a recipient is found to be ineligible during verification -- especially those linked to online gambling -- we will replace them with someone more qualified,” Saifullah said.

Further Screening Underway
The ministry is still reviewing an additional 375,000 beneficiaries whose financial profiles raised red flags. Investigators are analyzing bank accounts, employment records, and suspicious financial activity -- including unusually large balances inconsistent with eligibility for aid.

To prevent misuse of public funds, the ministry plans to implement a full screening process before disbursing the third phase of assistance in the current quarter.

“We are fully committed to fairness and accountability. This early-stage verification is critical to ensure future recipients are properly vetted,” Saifullah said.

The ministry also intends to broaden its data validation efforts by collaborating with local governments and relevant agencies.

“This validation process can’t be done in isolation. We will involve all stakeholders to ensure aid goes to those who truly need it,” he added.

Massive Misuse Uncovered by Financial Watchdog
Last month, PPATK revealed that 571,410 bank accounts belonging to social aid recipients had been linked to online gambling transactions, with Rp 957 billion ($59 million) in deposits traced across 7.5 million transactions.

The analysis involved cross-referencing the national ID numbers (NIK) of 28.4 million aid recipients with data from 9.7 million online gambling users in 2024. The findings showed that a significant number of welfare recipients were active gamblers, while some NIKs were also tied to corruption cases and even terrorism financing networks.